Environmental Values and Tourism Perceptions at New Local Geopark Caota Sand Dunes, Taoyuan, Taiwan

ABSTRACT

Caota Sand Dunes Geopark was established in June 2020 and conserves a landscape of coastal sand dunes at the Taoyuan coastline. This is the first geopark in Taiwan to promote the value of coastal dunes, recognizing their ecological value and their protection function in the face of climate change. This geopark has been actively promoted and attracts many visitors owing to its unique and photogenic landscape. In the initiation phase of a geopark it is significant to get feedback on the planning and services, to evaluate the existing management strategies for future development. Therefore, this study will assess tourist perceptions through visitor comments from Google reviews, to explore how well the core values of the geopark are represented in visitors’ experiences. A qualitative methodology based on review analysis has been used to find themes and patterns. Many reviews point out that washed-up waste is still a huge issue at the Caota dunes and mention that the Geopark development has not been completed. However, there is consensus on the fact that Caota Dunes is a very promising site, and with more planning underway it can become a successful geopark. Future management strategies should address the issues that are pointed out in the reviews for the sustainable development of this scenery post the Covid-19 Pandemic.