Page 48 - Volcano and Geothermal Tourism

Introduction 25

of maars can be found in many areas: Alaska, case studies deal with a wide range of issues,
Africa, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, providing analyses of volcanic and geothermal
Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, North, tourism in many important contexts, and
Central and South America and Turkey. In investigate the range of existing and necessary
Germany the ‘Vulkaneifel’ draws many visitors to risk-management policies that are needed for the
the volcanic landscape with maars and other further development of this subsector of
remnants of volcanoes. geotourism. As the editors show in detail in the
In Asia and Oceania active and dormant first and last chapters, the work presented here
volcanic regions often include geothermal fields makes a substantial contribution to the better
with features like sinter terraces as colourful tourist understanding of this emerging sector of tourism,
attractions. The coexistence of volcanic and hot while identifying some gaps in management
springs is a common occurrence in many countries, capabilities in relation to sustainable tourism
even where volcanic activity has long ceased. practices in volcano and geothermal tourism.
Unless otherwise stated, figures and tables are
The structure of this book supplied by the individual authors of each chapter;
where material has been contributed by third
This book is designed to contribute a balanced parties full reference is made.
view of the sustainable use of active volcanic and Part I is made up of this introductory chapter
geothermal environments for geotourism on a which examines the background to the most
global scale. It is a pioneer in the fusion of tourism, important issues of this growing tourism sector
geography/geology, sustainable environments and and reflects relevant global research undertaken on
the tourist quest for knowledge about the volcano tourism to date. As well as discussing
environments they visit. For most people it may recommendations for international safety
come as a surprise that there are over 1300 active guidelines and sustainable management, the
volcanoes worldwide and many more dormant or chapter undertakes a review of the existing
extinct. While not all of them can be reached this literature related to the use of volcanic and
still means an abundance of destinations waiting associated forms of geothermal activity for leisure
for people with an interest in volcanic environments and recreation purposes. The theme of risk
(with varying ease of access). Some are developed management for both tourists and the local
as tourist destinations; others are not (or not yet). environment of host communities and the
The diversity of complementary landscape features volcanoes themselves is taken up in all subsequent
also makes volcanic landforms very attractive to a chapters and case studies.
broad spectrum of visitors. Part II covers volcano and related forms of
No other major academic publications are as tourism in Africa. The two main chapters and
yet available covering volcano tourism, and this three case studies show that Africa is a continent
book provides an abundance of information from rich in volcanic and geothermal environments,
volcanic regions all over the world, brought with some well-known areas of interest for
together by a number of authors familiar with geotourists along the Rift Valley, including the
individual destinations and their particular volcanoes Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira in the
management as a tourism attraction. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Erta Ale
contributing authors predominantly have in Ethiopia. The African Rift Valley also includes
backgrounds in geology, risk management, mountains like Tanzania’s Mt Kilimanjaro,
environmental science and other relevant Ngorongoro Crater, Mt Meru and Ol Doinyo
disciplines, can relate to volcanic and geothermal Lengai, all of which are currently prominent
environments, and have the expertise to present tourist destinations although the local political
important topics associated with sustainable situation can occasionally be an obstacle to safe
geothermal-based tourism. travel in certain areas.
Volcano and Geothermal Tourism is organized in The four chapters and six case studies of Part
five parts. The 22 chapters and 19 independent III detail volcano and geothermal tourism in the

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