Geotourism: Why Do Children Visit Geological Tourism Sites?

Abstract

By reviewing the literature, it is evident that previous tourism studies pay little attention to the issue of why children travel to geological tourism sites and this significant issue is still an undeveloped area of study. Therefore, investigating the motivations of children engaging in a geotourism (geology and tourism) experience reflects an urgent need to bridge the gap in the geotourism literature. The purpose of this study is to explore the different motivations behind children visiting the Dead Sea in Jordan in 2012. Quantitative methodology was employed, consisting of a self-administered questionnaire that involved inviting a convenience sample of 147 children aged (14-17) years old visiting the Dead Sea. The results of this study indicated that the major motivation for the respondent in the Dead Sea were ‘enjoyment’, ‘to escape from the pressures of the study’, ‘friendship’ and ‘relaxation’. Moreover, the study revealed that most of the respondents had sourced information about the Dead Sea before undertaking their trip. The respondents also identified the Internet as the most frequent source of information to gain necessary information before their visit to the Dead Sea.