Introduction

Despite limited references by a few authors to tourism and geology (e.g. Komoo, 1997; Martini, 1994), until the early 1990s 'geotourism' was neither a published nor a defined term. The first widely available, and Australian, account of geology and tourism (Jenkins, 1992) employed 'fossicking'. 'Tourism geology' has been employed in Malaysia for a branch of applied geology that could support ecotourism's growth and promote geoconservation, much like bioconservation (Komoo, 1997) does for the biological heritage. Seemingly the first widely published definition appeared in a commissioned article for a British professional interpretation magazine (Hose, 1995: 17):

The provision of interpretive and service facilities to enable tourists to acquire knowledge and understanding of the geology and geomorphology of a site (including its contribution to the development of the Earth sciences) beyond the level of mere aesthetic appreciation.

This came from a working definition for research (Hose, 1994a: 2) informally undertaken for English Nature on 'site-specific geological interpretation' at Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and subsequently developed (Hose, 1996) and refined (Hose, 2000a: 136) to:

The provision of interpretative facilities and services to promote the value and societal benefit of geological and geomorphological sites and their materials, and to ensure their conservation, for the use of students, tourists and other recreationalists.

These various definitions encompass an examination and understanding of the physical basis of geosites along with geoscientists' biographies, research, publications, notes and artwork, correspondence, diaries, collections, workplaces, residences and graves that is, the 'geoheritage'. The...