More than lava flows: mapping cultural ecosystem services in Katla UNESCO geopark via user-generated content

Abstract

This study advances digital tourism geographies by examining the spatial distribution of Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) within the Katla UNESCO Global Geopark, Iceland, using user-generated content (UGC). Drawing on 12,386 geolocated Flickr photographs collected between 2015 and 2025, the research applies a rule-based semantic classification of user tags combined with spatial statistics to explore how visitors articulate cultural values associated with geodiversity. Results reveal an activity mosaic where 71.7% of observations reflect nature appreciation, primarily clustered around hydrological and cryospheric features like waterfalls and glaciers. Spatial modeling and Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) identify strong visitor concentrations along the southern coastal corridor, alongside dispersed, specialized engagement in the interior highlands. These findings demonstrate that social media platforms function as infrastructures through which visitors selectively communicate place-based experiences, contributing to the co-production of tourism geographies. However, Flickr data remain indicative rather than fully representative, capturing the behaviors of digitally active visitors. By mapping publicly articulated CES, this study offers a scalable, transparent framework for geopark management to identify underused areas, alleviate pressure on saturated coastal nodes, and diversify tourism flows while integrating geodiversity and sense of place into digital tourism research.