Overtourism is relatively rare in rural regions of Czechia, in the form of lonely “hotspots” surrounded by areas that suffer from undertourism. Therefore, the article aims to analyse whether these hotspots could be used to develop tourism in the surrounding regions and whether it is a desirable and sustainable situation. The paper examines the reasons that lead to overtourism in the rural environment and explains the concept of three dimensions of overtourism: objective, subjective and temporal. Based on experience from overtourism-affected locations in Czechia, we describe how to know whether a site can be a positive center for tourism development and whether it is desirable or, conversely, dangerous for the surrounding region. We use data obtained through a questionnaire survey, narrative interviews with local people, and field research.

There are some localities in the Bohemian Paradise Geopark that suffer from temporal overtourism in the high season. On the other hand, more than half of the geopark is not so often visited by tourists, although very attractive geosites can be found there too. In the most visited localities, nature is damaged due to overloading of the tourist infrastructure, while elsewhere there is pressure driven by municipalities to increase the number of tourists. For this reason, we organized a large questionnaire survey in summer 2020, which aimed to reveal the motivation of visitors of the geopark and their preferences regarding the places visited. The questionnaire combined several research methods: graphic scales, qualitative open questions, mental map, etc. The analysis of visitors’ answers shows that most of them cannot be described as geotourists, i.e., tourists who are primarily interested in geology and conceive their holiday as a sightseeing stay. Many tourists like to stay in nature without an educational element. We also found that there is a higher proportion of ecotourists and geotourists in less-visited geosites because they appreciate even lesser-known localities and crowds of tourists rather than repel them. The question for the future is, therefore, whether the geopark should strive for greater promotion of lesser-known localities, which would attract even mainstream tourists, or, conversely, to protect these geosites, it should promote only the most visited localities (which are already damaged).

Overtourism is appearing more and more often in large world-famous cities and in many rural regions, where the infrastructure capacity is insufficient for large numbers of visitors. In rural communities, this creates resistance to tourism, traffic congestion, or damage to nature. Therefore, destinations experiencing tourism growth must have a strategy to prevent and limit the harmful effects of overtourism. The article presents a methodology that first identifies manifestations of overtourism in a destination and then uses a standardized procedure to evaluate the usability of different types of strategies in a selected destination. This procedure should lead to the creation of a comprehensive plan guaranteeing the sustainable development of tourism in the destination. The use of the methodology is explained at 12 rural locations in the Czech Republic, which were selected concerning the diversity of manifestations of overtourism.

Cross-border co-operation (CBC) is a prominent form of secondary foreign policy, implemented by local/regional actors and serving as a tool for overcoming the barriers arising from state borders. Many borders are areas of former conflicts, including territory of Euroregion Tesin/Cieszyn Silesia. Our goal is to analyse whether this Euroregion acts as a reconciliation tool. We departed from a concept of secondary foreign policy and complemented that by an overview of nationally led initiatives which could involve NCGs and NGOs in reconciliation and followed by analysis of projects of the Euroregion and interviews with CBC actors. We evidenced that CBC is a prominent form of secondary foreign policy. It has a reconciliation function, as it has helped to establish functional relationships and has contributed to diminishing the negative pictures of neighbours. However, the research also reveals an application of policies designed specifically to avoid critical issues, mainly those related to history.

Geosites are suitable locations for field teaching of Earth sciences. However, their educational potential does not always correlate with the scientific significance of geosites, as for educational purposes, the visibility and comprehensibility of the phenomenon are much more important. The educational potential also depends on the target group, as a location suitable for the education of adults may not be suitable for the education of younger pupils. The article describes an experiment in which a method of assessing the educational potential of geosites was developed based on the analysis of the outputs of inquiry-based learning tasks during field teaching on geosites. The method is based on the gradual implementation and evaluation of the inquiry-based learning program for different categories of target groups, proceeding from more experienced and older to less experienced and younger participants. Although the method is relatively time-consuming, it provides very accurate results that can be applied to different target groups. The use of this method can help schools, institutions implementing extracurricular education programs, and geoparks to identify correctly suitable geosites.