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Potential Geotourism and the Prospect of Raising Awareness About Geoheritage and Environment on Mauritius

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Abstract

The Mauritian tourism industry is interested in growing new markets and continues to strive for new product development. Existing geological attractions in Mauritius include the Seven-Coloured Earth of Chamarel and the Black River Gorges National Park, but there is much scope for showcasing the educational value of these attractions and further highlighting the geodiversity of Mauritius. In order to maintain quality and further develop geological attractions in Mauritius, such as volcanic craters, lava tubes, mountain landscapes and waterfalls, tourism plans need to be preceded by an analysis of existing infrastructure in relation to its utility and integrity, and explore the scope for on-site improvements in helping to foster geoconservation, visitor awareness and tourism satisfaction. The preparation of a geotourism development and conservation plan is essential to this process. As education and interpretation are fundamental components of geotourism, the way in which geo-information is to be delivered also needs to be specified in the plan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Science, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia

    D. Newsome

  2. Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune, India

    C. P. Johnson

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  1. D. Newsome
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  2. C. P. Johnson
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Correspondence to D. Newsome.

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Newsome, D., Johnson, C.P. Potential Geotourism and the Prospect of Raising Awareness About Geoheritage and Environment on Mauritius. Geoheritage 5, 1–9 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-012-0070-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-012-0070-4

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