Metaverse Technologies for Accessing Isolated Geosites: A Digital Bridge for Immersive Geotourism

Experiencing geological heritage sites with limited physical access through metaverse technologies should be considered for both promotion and conservation purposes. By creating digital twins of geosites, users can experience an immersive geotourism experience in a three-dimensional interactive environment accompanied by artificial intelligence guides. During the design phase, high-resolution terrain data are collected with LiDAR and UAV photogrammetry to define the environment, and three-dimensional (3D) models are produced from these data and integrated into metaverse platforms. Artificial intelligence-supported avatars deepen the learning process by providing personalised interaction based on knowledge. The thematic analysis reveals that participants found this virtual experience highly immersive and gained a better understanding of geological processes. It is concluded that this model is not only a digital presentation but also a powerful method for pedagogical, cultural, and sustainable heritage education. The study makes a theoretical and practical contribution to the field of digital geotourism by proposing a new conceptual framework, the Geo-Metaverse Heritage Framework (GMHF).