Eco-Friendly and Niche Adventure Tourism: Caving Experiences as a Factor of Tourism Destination Development

Abstract

The development of tourism has created an opportunity to enhance special forms of tourism tailored to specific interests of tourists, which also promote the sustainability of rural tourism and contribute to the economic prosperity of the tourist destination. The paper investigates the hypothesis that caving experiences, when aligned with eco-friendly and niche adventure tourism principles, can significantly enhance the sustainable tourism development of destinations, specifically using Grotte di Castellana as a model and exploring the potential of Sokobanja’s caves. The study identifies three key motivational factors for tourists visiting Grotte di Castellana: Mythic Trails, Purposeful Adventure, and Cave Insights, which highlight the various ways tourists connect with cave environments. Additionally, the research evaluates the effective tourism infrastructure at Grotte di Castellana as a benchmark for developing caving tourism in Sokobanja and offers recommendations to improve the sustainability and appeal of Sokobanja’s speleological resources through eco-friendly tourism initiatives. Future research should focus on creating and monitoring development strategies in order to prevent further inadequate management of Sokobanja’s speleological resources. The research and the study itself should encourage the local government and the management of the Sokobanja tourist destination to look at show cave tourism as a potential for development.