Page 165 - Volcano and Geothermal Tourism

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Volcano and Geothermal

Tourism in Kyushu, Japan

Patricia Erfurt-Cooper

Introduction

In Japan volcano tourism and geotourism are part
of many tourists’ trip agendas, although as yet not
under these specific categories. Most people who
visit volcanic environments in Japan do so under
the guise of nature-based hot spring tourism or
onsen tourism which benefits from the geophysical
attributes especially on the island of Kyushu. The
number of national parks in Kyushu offers a broad
range of recreational opportunities; moreover,
most of them with access to volcanic and
geothermal areas. To give a quick indication of the
destinations discussed in this chapter a map of
Kyushu (Figure 9.1) has been modified to indicate
where the major volcanoes are located.
Mt Unzen and Mt Sakurajima were also
classed as ‘decade volcanoes’ several years ago,
which made them objects of special studies and Figure 9.1 Kyushu’s active volcanic centres
monitoring through the IAVCEI (International
Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Note: All the volcanic centres are located within a national park with
Earth’s Interior). A sub-commission of the IAVCEI visitor facilities, accommodation, hot spring spas, theme parks and
many other attractions for visitors.
was appointed for the Decade Volcanoes Project
with the aim to ‘direct attention to a small number Source: Map modified by author
of selected, active volcanoes worldwide and to
encourage the establishment of a range of research
and public-awareness activities aimed at enhancing individual regions, for example, the ‘Shimabara
an understanding of the volcanoes and the hazards Volcanic Area’, which includes the notorious Mt
posed by them’ (USGS, n.d.). Unzen, has become officially recognized as a
Classifications of individual tourism sectors global geopark. The most important features for
such as geotourism and volcano tourism are this geopark are its volcanic and geothermal
slowly being integrated into the marketing of attractions, several volcano museums and a village

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