Volcanic Landscapes and Geotourism Development: Analysing How Madeira’s Volcanic Origin Shapes its Tourism Industry, with a Focus on Hiking Tours and Scenic Viewpoints

Abstract The volcanic landscapes of Madeira, part of the Madeira Archipelago in the NE Atlantic Ocean, form arguably the defining features of the island. The volcanic landscapes occur in the geoheritage sites of Madeira compiled by Sotiriou and Nunes (2024), and include those in the scenic viewpoints in the Ponta de São Lourenço, Porto da Cruz, São Vicente Valley, Pico Ruivo, and Ponta da Cruz areas. These volcanic landscapes contain geological features of interest, such as lava flows, columnar jointing, dykes, tuffs, and volcanic cones. These volcanic landscapes form the natural scenery for which Madeira is renowned. Geotourism is not as well developed as cultural or biodiversity tourism in Madeira, however, the island’s scenic viewpoints of volcanic landscapes have shaped its tourism industry and provide the potential for the development of hiking tours. Therefore, Madeira’s volcanic origin has greatly shaped the tourism industry on the island and has the potential to continue to do so in the future. Geotourism in Madeira could increase in the future due to the creation of hiking tours of the island’s scenic viewpoints of its volcanic landscapes. The creation of the Madeira Georoute and a UNESCO Global Geopark in Madeira could enhance hiking tours and geotourism, especially if done in a sustainable manner. Hiking tours of the scenic viewpoints of volcanic landscapes in the Ponta de São Lourenço, Porto da Cruz, São Vicente Valley, Pico Ruivo and Ponta da Cruz areas could be set up easily using existing tourism infrastructure, such as roads, parking, accommodation, and restaurants. The existence of hiking trails in Madeira’s geosites provides a good foundation for the development of the proposed Madeira Georoute and UNESCO Global Geopark in Madeira.