Geosites and Geotourism in the Local Development of Communities of the Andes Mountains. A Case Study

The inventory and assessment of a geosite in a territory provides a sound basis for the protection and use of its geological heritage. This article aims to evaluate the most relevant geosites in the province of Chimborazo (Ecuador), applying the Spanish Inventory of Sites of Geological Interest (IEL...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2021-05, Vol.13 (9), p.4624
Main Authors: Carrión-Mero, Paúl, Borja-Bernal, César, Herrera-Franco, Gricelda, Morante-Carballo, Fernando, Jaya-Montalvo, María, Maldonado-Zamora, Alfonso, Paz-Salas, Nataly, Berrezueta, Edgar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cultural heritage
Cultural resources
Earth
Evaluation
Geology
Geomorphology
Mountains
Sustainability
Sustainable development
Tourism
Travel
Volcanoes
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Summary:The inventory and assessment of a geosite in a territory provides a sound basis for the protection and use of its geological heritage. This article aims to evaluate the most relevant geosites in the province of Chimborazo (Ecuador), applying the Spanish Inventory of Sites of Geological Interest (IELIG, in Spanish) method, and proposing alternatives for geotourism development in the studied area. The methodological process was based on: (i) the inventory and preliminary selection of geosites; (ii) a semi-quantitative geosite assessment and proposal of travel itineraries for geotourism; and (iii) the application of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) matrix to establish geotourism development strategies within a framework of sustainability. The global assessment of scientific, tourist, and academic interests demonstrates that 25% of the 20 evaluated geosites have very high interest and 75% have high interest. The top three geosites with the highest degrees of interest are the Chimborazo Volcano, known as ‘Earth’s Closest Point to the Sun’, the Pallatanga geological fault, and the geosite named Comunidad Cacha. The SWOT analysis reveals that travel itineraries that combine cultural heritage elements and geosites could offer a real alternative for the region’s sustainable development through geotourism.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su13094624