Page 299 - Volcano and Geothermal Tourism

276 Europe

Tourism
Tourism contributes 32 per cent of the GDP of
the islands and there are about ten million tourists
a year. Economic growth on the islands has been
fuelled mainly by huge foreign investment in
tourism real estate and by EU funding. To this
investment the volcanoes provide an attractive
visual setting, influence the climate and physically
have contributed to tourism resources of sand,
mountains and hot springs. They also contributed
to the world heritage listing of Mt Teide National
Park, which reflects the significance of volcanic
environments as tourist destinations.
Risk management

Risk management in the Canary Islands context is
overseen by WOVO, the World Organization of
Figure CS14.2 Tourists exploring the crater of Mt Teide Volcanic Observatories, and the National Parks.
Source: Photo courtesy of Henry Gaudru The Spanish Scientific Volcanic Evaluation and
Monitor Committee, a national commission that
evaluates volcanic activity in the country, and the
IGN (National Geographic Institute), a public
recent times documented major activity has been organization responsible for the observation,
concentrated on Tenerife (1704–1706, 1798, surveillance and communication of volcanic
1909), Lanzarote (1730, 1824) and La Palma activity, also assist the authorities responsible for
(1585, 1646, 1678, 1712, 1949, 1971). Four of civil protection on the island. Tourists are included
Spain’s 13 national parks are located in the Canary in the plans for risk management should one or
Islands and are based on existing dormant or more of the volcanoes show signs of increased
active volcanoes (Parque Nacional de la Caldera activity, and this information will be distributed by
de Taburiente, La Palma; Garajonay National Park, local councils, tourism organizations and hotels.
La Gomera; Teide National Park, Tenerife;
Timanfaya National Park, Lanzarote). La Palma is References
in its entirety a biosphere reserve. Cruz, C. M. G. (2001) The Origin of the Canary Islands:
A Chronology of Ideas and Related Concepts, from
Risk factors Antiquity to the End of the 20th Century, INHIGEO
(International Commission on the History of
The standard risk factors relating to volcanic Geological Sciences, Sydney, October
activity are present but as the archipelago is a Holik, J. S., Rabinowitz, P. D. and Austin, J. A. (1991)
volcanic hot spot there are many safeguards in ‘Effects of Canary hotspot volcanism on the structure
place. Nevertheless, the United Nations Committee of the oceanic crust off Morocco’, Journal of
for Disaster Mitigation (in conjunction with the Geophysical Research, vol 96, no B7, pp12039–12067
IAVCEI) has designated Teide (on Tenerife) as a Newhall, C. (1996) ‘IAVCEI/International Council of
Scientific Unions’ Decade Volcano Projects:
Decade Volcano (16 major volcanoes worldwide; Reducing Volcanic Disaster’, Status Report, USGS,

Newhall, 1996) because of its history of destructive Washington DC
eruptions and its proximity to several large towns, Wikimedia Commons (2009) ‘Map of the Canary
of which the closest are Garachico, Icod de los Islands’, www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Map_
Vinos and Puerto de la Cruz. of_the_Canary_Islands.svg, accessed 20 July 2009

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