Geoheritage and overtourism: a case study from sandstone rock cities in the Czech Republic

Sandstone districts are among the most visited and popular geosites in the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, they are often affected by the harmful effects of mass tourism, referred to as overtourism. Sandstone geosites are very vulnerable owing to the rock's relative softness, and large numbers of visitors can be a threat to them as they accelerate the intensity of their degradation. The overtourism situation then brings other negatives not only to the geosites but also to their surroundings. This paper describes the reasons for the overtourism situation in Czech rock cities, the effects of overtourism on geosites and communities living in their vicinity, and possible solutions from the perspective of nature conservation and tourism management. The data come from field observations, interviews, and publicly available data on the development of the number of visitors to tourist destinations. The results showed that overtourism is a widespread problem in the Czech rock cities, damaging these geosites and negatively affecting the residents of the surrounding villages. In addition, it is necessary to act quickly because the number of visitors to these geosites is continuing to grow in the long term. The article proposes three measures that should mitigate the harmful effects of mass tourism: communication with the visitors, destination management and the protection of geosites. However, for these measures to work, a strategy must be developed that will be respected by all of the main actors in the local tourism industry, and these measures should be targeted at specific problems. This example is typical of the general problems encountered in any geotourism site, and such remedial strategies provide an example of what could be applied to avoid problems elsewhere.