Ľubomír Štrba
Technical University of Košice
SPECIAL ISSUE – VOLUME 12, ISSUE 1/2 MARCH 2016
In the last decades, as expectations and requirements of tourists have significantly grown, new forms of tourism have emerged. Fast urbanization and fast life in many countries have resulted in the fact that many people look for alternative forms of recreation, often with the possibility to learn something new about visited locations using modern and effective methods. Development of these new tourism forms and approaches is closely connected to their definitions and characterizations, impacts, ideology and many other features that still require broad discussion.
This special issue of the e-Review of Tourism Research, consisting of seven papers, focuses on such types of tourism covering fields like geotourism and mining tourism, sustainable development, tourist perceptions, and application of IT technologies in tourism.
Csapo’s paper is focused on possibilities of tourism development in the rural settlements with brownfields based on the example of Hungary. The authors discuss several tourism related renewal possibilities of brownfields and conclude that among new functions of studied areas, it is possible to find tourism attractions, however, only a few of them are able to ensure longer visitor stays.
The study of Hronček and Rybár focuses on non-mining underground spaces and their use for tourism purposes. The paper provides a complex overview of historical underground spaces of non-mining origin in Slovakia (e. g. castle cellars or tunnels). The authors pointed out that besides rich mining tourism opportunities there is a significant tourism potential of underground spaces of non-mining origin.
Kunáková et al. evaluate the potential of the landscape for recreaction and tourism. In their case study from the east Slovakian microregion of Minčol, the authors used a quantitative method of evaluation. The research results are imported into GIS map, which can be very usable in the process of tourism activities development in the area. Also, Bieliková and Petrovič, in their paper, focus on the tourism potential of a selected area assessing external and internal factors affecting tourism development. The authors suggest, in order to preserve the character and values of the area with the dispersed settlement, to focus on the development of soft forms of tourism.
The article of Mesároš et al. discusses the possibilities of augumented reality and gamification techniques to support tourism experience and protect tourist objects from damage.
Dryglas and Różycki focused in their paper on visitors’ preceptions in the spa resorts in Poland. Using statistical methods, the authors pointed out differencies beween non- commercial and commercial visitors of spas.
In the final paper, the authors focus on the geotourism support potential in the area of Joachim Barrande Geopark in the Czech Republic. According to their findings, the development of geotourism in the area is very limited without joint promotion and marketing.
This special issue consists of various types of tourism related topics and I believe that it will contribute to the broad discussion on current tourism research topics and will increase the reach of the e-Review of Tourism Research journal.
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