%0 Journal Article
%T Unearthing the geotourism experience: Geotourist perspectives at Mount Pinatubo, Philippines
%A Heike A Sch£¿nzel
%A Kenneth F Hyde
%A Richard S Aquino
%J Tourist Studies
%@ 1741-3206
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/1468797617717465
%X This study aims to explore the geotourism experience by undertaking a qualitative inquiry of the narratives of geotourists to Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. This study proposes that the geotourism experience is created onsite through the tourists¡¯ visual, performative and social aspects of gazing and produced in the tourists¡¯ minds through their perception, imagination and self-reflection. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 12 purposefully selected geotourists. Thematic analysis procedures reveal 11 experiential themes that illustrate varying perspectives on the geotourism experience, categorised into three dimensions: ¡®natural¡¯, ¡®recreational¡¯ and ¡®socio-cultural¡¯. The findings indicate that apart from the expected leisure, hedonic and adventurous experiences, deeper outcomes such as a sense of awe, personal reflections and spiritual outcomes are apparent in the geotourism experience, as a result of individuals¡¯ negotiations with Mount Pinatubo¡¯s natural landscape and touristic environment. More meaningful and transformative experiences are also discovered from geotourists¡¯ engagement with the landform¡¯s cultural landscape, particularly from their social interaction with the indigenous people who live at Mount Pinatubo. These outcomes suggest the gaining of a holistic view of the Earth and its inhabitants through geotourism. This article thus provides some understanding of the experiential aspects of geotourism
%K Aeta
%K geotourism
%K geotourists
%K Mount Pinatubo
%K Philippines
%K tourist experience
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1468797617717465