Volcano Tourism "Needs To Stop" Say Geologists

Above, a helicopter view of a vent of Kilauea volcano in Hawaii. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Two years ago, I took a helicopter tour of Kikauea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. A year later, I visited Crater Lake and Lassen Volcanic National Parks. All three were enjoyable and something I would recommend to others.

However, some geologists are saying that tours of active volcanoes "needs to stop".

Above, Lassen Peak from the Lassen Peak trail head parking lot. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

According to an article in Travel + Leisure:

Earlier this year, a “lava bomb” crashed through the roof of a sightseeing boat in Hawaii, injuring 23 people. Last year, an 11-year-old boy died in Italy when he fell through a volcanic crater. His parents died trying to save him. 

People are going to extreme lengths to get up close with an active volcano, resulting in extreme consequences for some. 

"Volcanoes are one of the forces of nature that truly are beyond human power to control,” Amy Donovan, a geographer at the University of Cambridge and author of a paper about volcano tourism, told CNN. “We can't do anything about eruptions, other than get out of the way."

Donovan’s new report, published this week by the Royal Geographical Society, warns about the dangers of “volcano tourism.” Hordes of “volcanophiles” are racing around the world to get as close to the powerful eruptions as possible. Tourists who don’t understand the volatile nature of eruptions also put emergency services at risk if they need to be rescued. Donovan specifically pointed to the rise of tourists to Iceland in accordance with active volcano eruptions.

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