Comparative analysis of Devil's town and Bryce canyon geosites by applying the modified geosite assessment model (M-GAM)

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to compare two similar geosites in two countries with different levels of geotourism development, Serbia and USA. The comparative analysis was carried out by applying the M-GAM model for geosite assessment which considers visitor opinion in the assessment process. Our findings indicate that the two analyzed geosites, Devil's Town and Bryce Canyon attract tourists mainly due to their aesthetic values. The comparative analysis also revealed the advantages and disadvantages of the analyzed geosites as well as the areas on which geosite management should focus their attention in the future. Additionally, the paper also emphasizes the main barriers for geotourism development as well as areas which require improvement. These are mainly related to tour guide service, promotional and interpretive activities. These elements are essential in order to further improve the geotourism offer and attract a larger number of visitors.

Keywords

• geosite assessment
• m-gam
• devil's town
• bryce canyon
• serbia