GeoWonders is a campaign that showcases the various cultural and historical stories surrounding the Philippine landforms, which provides each site with a soul: an individual character that can be expounded to create an emotional connection between the tourist and the site. This connection can foster geoconservation, environmental education, and cultural interest among tourists in relation to these sites.
Geotourism, as a sustainable form, primarily focuses on the promotion of different sites with unique geological features as travel destinations, in a way that fosters not just the appreciation of the scenery and nature, but also environmental, cultural, and historical understanding, geoconservation, and responsibility among tourists.
In the Philippine setting, it is established that there is a general interest in our various mountains and volcanoes as travel destinations among local tourists. But oftentimes, people flock to certain destinations withouth understanding their environmental, cultural, and economic impact to a certain site, and this poses problems to the sustainability and proper care of Philippine landforms as tourist attractions.
It also aims to influence travelers to be aware of how they affect our mountains and volcanoes (environmental, cultural, economic) as well as how these places affect them in return. GeoWonders aims to create a community of “geowonderers” who explore deeper and discover beyond, because these places are more than what you see.
2 to 3-minute animated videos retelling the stories will also be made available for public viewing through the GeoWonders Youtube channel, TV and cinema spots, and top social media platforms.
The GeoWonders mobile app serves as the “ultimate geowonderer guide” which provides a library of the different landforms that can be visited in the country, and related information.
The campaign’s online presence will be strengthened by the website and social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram) which will also produce content for environmental education through the GeoWonderer Tips.
An event will also be held in observance of the annual UN-recognized day, the International Mountain Day. Through WonderCON, tourists will be able to attend talks on geotourism and geoconservation, avail travel promos, and purchase related products and gear for their travels. This will also be in partnership with local brands who are also advocates of responsible and sustainable tourism.
