Page 109 - Volcano and Geothermal Tourism

86 The Americas

Table 6.1 Top five world destinations for volcano tourists

Country Volcano(es)
1. Indonesia Mt Bromo, Merapi, Krakatoa, Gede, Papandayan
2. Italy Etna, Vulcano, Stromboli
3. Tanzania Kilimanjaro, Oldoinyo Lengai, Meru

4. Vanuatu Yasur, Lopevi, Gaua, East Epi, Karua
5. USA Hawai‘i (Kilauea, Mauna Loa) Washington State (Mt St Helens)

they have been in offsetting the damage and perfect description, with gaps to be filled partly
economic costs caused by the volcanic activity. through the development of technology and early
We use the Caribbean island of Montserrat as a warning systems that provide some assurance to
case study to look at the loss of infrastructure and tourists, thereby reducing the risk elements, and
property caused by a recent eruption and how partly through the fact that many of the visitors to
such losses may impede the development of volcanoes are of a professional background with
tourism as a means to economic recovery. Briefly specific interests in the geology. Others such as
we will also examine wider issues relating to Smith (1989) used typologies to examine the
volcano tourism including the risks to tourists, the likely impact of tourism on the host communities
limitations of this form of tourist activity and ask by tourists with differing motivations to travel.
how soon after a disaster, where lives have been Plog (1974) focused his attention more on the
lost, is it acceptable to reintroduce tourism. This nature of the destination and the type of tourists
final point links volcano tourism to that of dark that it will attract rather than on hosts at the
tourism (Stone, 2006), and we examine how dark destination and the adaptability of tourists to the
tourism may become lighter with the passage local norm. In Plog’s world volcano tourism
of time. would reflect the allocentric tourists who travel to
destinations rarely visited, in pursuit of adventure
Tourism and the Earth sciences and new experiences. Allocentric tourists tend
(geotourism) to be independent, confident tourists that need
little in the way of tourist infrastructure and
Tourism occurs in a variety of guises from the superstructure. In summary, there are a number of
mass-tourism that has dominated travel for more different typologies that have been assigned to
than half a century to the unusual or niche types explain tourist behaviour and choice, and many of
of tourism activity that manifests in people them are overlapping and point to similar
travelling to the polar regions or to active volcanoes. conclusions (for example, see Fletcher in Cooper
The nature of tourism together with the motivations et al, 2008 p195).
of the travellers has spawned various typologies of All forms of travel contain an element of risk
tourism. For instance, Cohen (1972, 1974) and tourists have different propensities to be risk
categorized tourists into four distinct groups: averse. Often, as in the case of mass tourism, the
perceived risk is relatively small and does not deter
• organized mass tourism; tourist activity. However, events, such as 9/11
• individual mass tourism; and other serious incidents can severely disrupt
• explorers; and tourism flows causing tourists to seek alternative
• drifters. destinations. However, volcano tourism may work
counter to this general tendency by making the
Applying this typology to volcano tourism, the destination even more attractive to the visitor if
‘explorer’ provides the best fit although it is not a there is recent volcanic activity.

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