Prospects for the Development of Geotourism in Crete, Greece

Geotourism is an alternative form of tourism that has attracted global interest in recent years as it is considered that it can contribute to the sustainability of destinations. This paper focuses on the island of Crete, Greece, a popular holiday destination, and seeks to explore the level of geotourism development in the island and its contribution to sustainable tourism development. In order to meet this aim, qualitative research using semi-structured in-depth interviews with ten key informants was conducted. Crete has the unique advantage of having two geoparks in its region, which are included in the Global Network of UNESCO Geoparks. According to the participants these geoparks are an integral part of the natural heritage of Crete and can be the basis for the development of geotourism on the island, which can contribute to the protection of the geological environment, the promotion of geoheritage, the environmental education and the sustainable development of local communities. However, geotourism in Crete is in its infancy, but the future prospects are positive as long as serious problems and pathogens are effectively addressed. Findings and discussion of this study are useful to policy-makers, academics and industry practitioners interested in geotourism.