Promoting Geotourism in Dunhuang UNESCO Global Geopark

Abstract

Geoparks in China have always overlapped with many other tourism branding schemes. It is unclear whether people are familiar with the UNESCO Global Geopark (UGGp) label in a place in which many tourism brands and abundant resources exist. This article relies on data collected and interviews conducted in the Dunhuang UGGp to focus on tourists’ cognition, perception and satisfaction and to analyse their understanding of geotourism and participation in tourism activities. We suggest that the administration of Dunhuang UGGp change the schedule of tour routes, highlight geotourism, and foster the popularization of science and technology (PST) through activities within the geopark that support inquiry-based learning and facilitate geointerpretation and lively learning.