Geotourism Potentiality of Fossil Park Using Swot Matrix and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) for Amkhoi Wood Fossil Park, Birbhum District, West Bengal, India

Geoparks are a new tourism form integrating geography and local development, focusing on geological conservation, marketing, and local culture. Geotourism Ecosystem aims to build a stronger network of geoparks. Amkhoi Wood Fossil Park in Birbhum, India, houses 20 million-year-old angiosperm wood fossils. It has been designated a Biodiversity Heritage Site, which aims to protect natural heritage, educate tourists, preserve fossils, and create jobs. Wood fossils from West Bengal, India's, Amkhoi Fossil Park are well known for offering insights into the natural history of the area. The transformation of wood into stone through the process of petrification brings to light natural occurrences such as tree falls and mineral infiltration. The most well-known fossils in the park are from the Glossopteris genus, which represents the Permian period's prehistoric vegetation. Miocene angiosperm wood fossils shed light on the ecological dynamics and evolutionary history of the area. The fossil record of the Anacardiaceae family indicates the warm, humid environment of the area. Using the Saaty scale, the study analyzed the SWOT components and used Eigenvalues to determine each factor's significance. At 54.4%, opportunities have the most weight, followed by vulnerabilities, threats, and strengths. The development of geotourism in the research area is least affected by risk factors. Each SWOT group's high local priority SWOT variables were selected. The greatest potential existed for government officials to give tourism planning more attention. Some of the weaknesses were unusual geological features, insufficient infrastructure, and low awareness. Particularly rare fossils and a geological fossil park are two of the study area's advantages.