Examining the geotourist value of landscape features. Case study: the Vy?ne Ru?bachy in the Spi? Region (NE, Slovakia).

Vy?ne Ru?bachy located at the Spi? Region (NE Slovakia), is a village with one of the oldest Slovakian spa resort (Kúpele Vy?ne Ru?bachy). The area of the Kúpele Vy?ne Ru?bachy and its surroundings are characterized by environmental, historical and economical richness (thermal and mineral water springs, travertine craters and quarries). Many tourists travel in this area and love to spend here a few days searching for peaceful places and relaxing, taking a bath mineral and thermal water or spending time with other people. In addition to the mineral water of its thermal springs, the particular location of the Kúpele Vy?ne Ru?bachy spa is also rich in geological elements (the most famous travertine lake, travertine waterfall, CO2 crater, travertine quarry, etc) which in our estimation holds significant geotourism potential. In order to gauge the promotional value of these sites, this study investigates several aspects of Kúpele Vy?ne Ru?bachy and its attraction for tourists: a) the motivation of tourists for visiting the area, b) the level of visitors' interest and knowledge regarding the area's geological features, c) their assessment of the attractiveness and accessibility of these features, d) their overall opinion about the area for geo-tourism, and d) indications for utilizing these features to improve the landscape knowledge of the general public. These issues are being examined through a visitor survey, based on a questionnaire administered to a sample of 100 tourists and employers in the Kúpele Vy?ne Ru?bachy spa in the summer of 2016. The authors of this contribution want to compare data from this site, with findings from two other spa locations whose geological and geomorphological features also hold geotourism potential but are relatively unknown to the mass of visiting tourists: Terme San Giovanni in the Siena clay lands of Tuscany and Hamei Ein Gedi in the Dead Sea region of Israel.