Geotourism is a form of environmental-cultural tourism that can be developed in regions with significant geological features. Geotourism aims to preserve and develop geological heritage. This type of tourism plays an important role as a source of foreign exchange earnings and makes an important contribution to the quality of life. According to WTO assessment, general growth of tourism industry for the first decade of 21st century (2000-2010) is between 3.4 and 7.6 percent.
Desert tourism as a part of geotourism has had a significant growth about 10-30%. So it's expected that in one decade number of nature tourists who are now about 7 percent of all tourists in the world, reach more than 20 percent.
Since 2000 China has officially introduced 44 national geoparks that are generally indicated with specific structural and neotectonic features. Development and conservation of geological heritage has brought social, economical and environmental advantages to china and increased the level of China in Global Network of Geoparks assisted by UNESCO.
Tunisia's income from tourism during the first five months of 1999 reached to 503 million dollars. Number of nature and desert tourists in the first season of 1999 reached to 1.147 million with the increase of 31.7 percent compared to the last year. Nowadays, Tunisia shows a special interest in Geotourism and makes 3 billion dollars per year.