CURRENT STATE OF THE FIRST UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARK: A CASE STUDY OF THE GEOLOGICAL AND MINING PARK OF SARDINIA, ITALY

Abstract

This article deals with the Geological and Mining Park of Sardinia, the first park in the world to be included in the network of Geosites/Geoparks established by UNESCO in 1998. The main purpose of this research paper, given the absence of up-todate official documents, is to map mining sites allocated to tourist use. It also registers the number of visits per year, amount of human resources occupied and methods of management and financing. After a brief description of the birth of tourism in Sardinia and the history of the Park, the findings of a desk and field study within a comparative analysis are presented and evaluated and best management practices highlighted.

Keywords

• Heritage tourism
• Geological and Mining Park of Sardinia
• industrial mining tourism
• Geopark
• Geosite