Abstract:
Geotourists are experience hunters seeking knowledge while appreciating earth’
geological wonders through exploring myriad topographies. Geotourism can be defined as
tourism activity where visitors can witness attributes, abiotic, and biotic (ABC) and
culture with more focus on abiotic properties of the natural setting. Geotourism is a wing
of sustainable tourism and this study aimed to find out whether the Geotourism
application could be used as a profitable tool for sustainable tourism development in Sri
Lanka. The study was carried out qualitatively with twenty (20) in-depth interviews from
tourism stakeholders including tourists, local communities, and government officers. The
transcribed data sheets were thematically analysed by coding and axial coding. The
results of the study revealed that lack of awareness towards the Geotourism concept
caused Geotourism in Sri Lanka to be in its infancy though Sri Lanka is having an
abundance of marketable opportunities for its diversified tourist locations to initiate
Geotourism developments. In conclusion, it could be emphasized that Geotourism can be
used as a profitable tool for tourism development by addressing certain issues like
improper destination management, lack of promotion by examining two excellent
geoheritage sites, Ussangoda National Park and Mahapelessa (Madunagala) hot springs.
The research recommended new strategies for Geotourism development such as
improving proper destination management, propagating awareness programs on
Geotourism, an adaptation of geoconservation providing quality geo interpretation. Future
studies should focus on diversified geoheritage sites as this investigation was limited to
geoheritage sites with geological significances.
Keywords: Geotourism, Geotourists, Geoheitage sites, Tourism development, Sri Lanka
