Presentation to the Australian Earth Sciences Convention, 27th June, 2016

1. Tourism Earth Science:
An emerging discipline generating new opportunities
for earth scientists
Anze Chen, Young Ng & Tao Xu
Adelaide, Australia
27 June, 2016
2016/7/6
Australian Earth Sciences Convention 2016

2. Outline
1. Background
2. Definition
3. Content
4. Opportunities
5. Challenges
6. Conclusions

3. 1. Background
• Developed in the 80s by the research team of
Professor Anze Chen of the Chinese
Academy of Geological Sciences together
with colleagues of the Geological Society of
China
• Social and economical needs – China’s
economic and tourism developments since
early 1980s
• Development needs of Earth Sciences – new
applications in studying resources
management, particularly in locating,
assessing, planning, managing, interpreting,
developing and conserving tourism resources

4. 2. Definition
• A multi-disciplinary academic subject adopting knowledge and methodology of
Earth Sciences to understand, study, plan, protect and utilise tourism resources
(Chen 1985)
• A new branch of Earth Sciences to study tourism, leisure, rejuvenation activities
and their relationship with the composition, structures, energy movement and
changes of Earth’s surface. It includes tourism environments involving geology
and geography and therefore is a fusion of tourism geology and tourism
geography (Chen & Lu 1991)
• An interaction between Earth Sciences and tourism combining tourism geology
and tourism geography, primarily using the theories and methods of Earth
Sciences, art, landscape study, environmental sciences and tourism study to
address tourism issues associated with the phenomena on Earth (Chen 2013)
It becomes an academic discipline leading China’s tourism to adopt a more
environmental friendly, scientific and knowledge-based approach in
conducting tourism activities

5. 3. Content
Tourism
Earth
Sciences
Tourism
market
Tourism
managemen
t
Geoparks
Tourism
resources

6. Tourism market
Source of tourists
• Distribution
• Geographical, climatic,
transportation, population,
economic characteristics

7. Tourism resources
• Study of nature tourism resources
• Types, formation, distribution, values (aesthetic,
scientific, educational, economical, social), development
methods, gemstones, tourism products
• Cultural landscape related to the geological and
environmental backgrounds e.g. ancient architecture,
landscape, relics, grottos, cave temple, cave/rock
paintings and inscription/carving

8. Tourism management
• Tourists, facilities and transportation
• Roads, trails, boardwalks, routes design and
constructions
• Site selection for buildings and infrastructure
• Assessment of geological backgrounds of spas, resorts
and natural healing sites (radioactive, magnetic, trace
elements, ionic, water quality, natural hazards)

9. Geoparks
• Design, planning, nomination and evaluation
• Management - manpower allocation, management
structure/system, tourist surveys & monitoring, sister
parks establishment/exchanges
• Geological surveys, mapping, inventory/data lists,
heritage protection, hazard monitoring
• Education - Geological museum, video/movie
production, web sites, interpretative panels, field guides,
geological tour maps, pamphlets/booklets, books

10. • Training – geopark management
and guide training
• Research – geological, cultural
and tourism research
• Geopark products – design,
production, sale and marketing of
souvenirs, local products

11. 4. Opportunities
• Education & research
• Geoparks and
geoconservation
• Tourism and economic
development
• Exchanges – domestic and
international

12. Education & research opportunities
• China – over 40 colleges and universities
offering courses of Tourism Earth
Sciences
• Since 2015, undergraduate degree
course in Tourism Earth Sciences is
offered by the China University of
Geosciences (CUG, Beijing) and
Chang’an University (Xi’an)
• CUG Beijing – over 50 PhDs, 60 masters
• Annual funding by Chinese government
for research in geoparks – totalled CNY
2.8 billion (USD 70 millions) up to 2015

13. • Total research projects in the
past 20 years: > 5,000
• CUG Beijing – 50 projects
completed, total value CNY 10
millions (USD 2.5 million)
• 3,049 papers published (until
2012)

14. Geoparks and geoconservation opportunities
• The concept of geopark was first advocated by Chinese geologists in
the 80s
• Tourism earth scientists and the Ministry of Land and Resources had
established the first batch of national geoparks in China in 2000
• Currently, 241 national geoparks were approved, 191 officially
opened
• UNESCO’s Earth Science Division proposed the setting up of Global
Geoparks Network (GGN) in 1997

15. • First GGN meeting was held in 2004 in Beijing. 21 sites
around the world became global geoparks. Eight are
from China, others are from Europe
• Office of GGN is set up in Beijing under the Ministry of
Land and Resources
• Current: 120 global geoparks in 33 countries

17. • Geological survey, assessment of scientific, aesthetic and tourism
values, grading
• Evaluation/classification:
- 4 levels of geoparks: Global, national, provincial and local levels
- 4 levels of protection: Special, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th levels
• Protection strategies, policies, laws and regulations – funded,
formulated, implemented by Government
• Since 2010, protected over 3,000 geological heritage sites by
restricting industrial and mining activities

18. Geoscience popularisation• Geological museums for geoscience
promotion and popularisation – 200 sites
• Geological interpretive boards for public –
12,000 sets
• Booklets, pamphlets, audio-visual materials of
understanding geology – 1,700 types, > 10
million copies
• Science popularisation activities >6,200 times
• Summer camps/ workshops >700 times
• Others – co-operation of geopark with
schools, universities, NGO, volunteers

19. Tourism and economic
development opportunities
• Up to 2015, no. of tourists visiting geoparks in China: 436 million
- Ticket revenue CNY 22.6 billion
- Indirect revenue CNY 21.6 billion
- Direct jobs created 0.26 million
- Indirect jobs created: 2.2 million
- New motels/farm stay: 23,100
• Example Yuntaishan Global Geopark, Henan Province:
2001 – national tourist attraction – ticket revenue
2002 – national geopark established
2010 – ticket revenue CNY 570 million (CNY 4 million in 2002), no. of staff:
2,705 (79 in 2001), average annual income CNY 50,000 (CNY 400 in 2002)

20. Exchange opportunities
• Bilingual web sites in both Chinese and English
• Information exchange with other geoparks in China and around the
world
• Sister parks: 40 partners around the world
• Mutual visits among the geoparks
• Conferences/training workshops
- Global Geopark Conferences/Symposium in 2004, 2006, 2007 &
2008
- International Conference of Granite Landscape in 2006
- International Conference of Zhangjiajie Landform in 2010
- African Aspiring Geoparks Workshop since 2012

21. 5. Challenges
• Lack of tourism earth scientists
• Support of universities
• Support of tourism authority (China’s Tourism
Bureau & Ministry of Land and Resources: Memorandum of
enhancing scientific elements in national tourism 2016-2015)

22. 6. Conclusions
• Tourism Earth Sciences is a multi-disciplinary subject serving
tourism industry by adopting knowledge and methods of earth
sciences
• End of mining boom opens up new opportunities for geotourism and
geoparks
• Geotourism & geoparks offer tremendous opportunities for
engagement of earth scientists and invigorating development of
Earth Sciences
• Geotourism when properly planned, managed and promoted is
environmental friendly and can be used forever for the benefits of
local communities (better than a gold mine!)
• NOW is the best time to consider establishing Tourism Earth
Science as an academic subject to train more staff to meet the
needs of the market.

23. Thank you!
young@rocks.org.hk