Chapter 14 Interpretation rocks Designing signs for geotourism sites

Abstract

Nature-based tourism experiences are attracting increasing numbers of visitors worldwide, a phenomenon that has been attributed to a range of factors including greater flexibility in terms of leisure, mobility and disposable income; a growing public awareness of environment issues; and the desire to escape from ‘everyday’ routines (Waitt, 2000). Researchers have termed the learning that occurs in these tourism settings ‘free-choice learning’ because people are free to choose what, where, when and with whom they learn (Falk, 2001). Information and educational activities delivered during free-choice learning experiences are generally referred to as interpretation. A term originally coined by Tilden (1957), interpretation is a form of communication that presents ideas and concepts in a format that is designed to interest, entertain and inspire visitors (Ballantyne et al., 2000). Unlike education in formal settings, interpretation does not consist of lists of facts, figures, and dates but rather, users illustrative media, first-hand experiences and original objects to impart meaning and demonstrate relationships (Tilden, 1977).