WHAT HAPPENED?
Shortly ater lunchtime on 9
December 2019, White Island, also
known as Whakaari, suddenly
erupted. The rocky peak of a giant
underwater volcano lies about
30 miles of the east coast of the
North Island of New Zealand. It
had been increasingly active yet
was a popular destination for
licensed tour groups, including
those from cruise ships. Of the
almost 50 people who were on the
privately owned island when it
erupted, 19 died. A further 25 were
seriously injured.
In the days ater, Jacinda
Ardern, the prime minister of
New Zealand, announced a year-
long investigation to determine
if any individual or company
was at fault. In the meantime, a
burgeoning sector of adventure
tourism that uses the spectacle
and risk of eruption to market
destinations all over the world
was facing serious questions
about safety.WHY ARE VOLCANOES SO POPULAR?
We’ve been bewitched by the
elemental beauty of volcanoes for
as long as they have spewed lava
into the sky. Vesuvius fascinated
the Romans before erupting in
IMAGE: GETTYAD 79 and covering Pompeii and
SHOULD VOLCANO TOURISM BE BANNED?
FOLLOWING THE CATASTROPHIC ERUPTION OF NEW ZEALAND’S WHAKAARI,
VOLCANO TOURISM IS UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT AND WE’RE ASKING — IS IT EVER SAFE?
WORDS: SIMON USBORNEHOT TOPICHerculaneum in rock and ash.
The discovery of those cities in
the 18th century turned Vesuvius
into an early tourist hotspot. More
recently, the rise in adventure
tourism has boosted the proiles
of active volcanoes, including
Kīlauea in Hawaii, Mount Merapi
in Indonesia, Mount Nyiragongo in
DRC and Cotopaxi in Ecuador.DON’T ERUPTIONS LESSEN INTEREST?
Devastating eruptions only boost
the appeal of volcanoes. “Ater
the 2010 ash crisis in Iceland
we saw a massive increase in
tourism,” says Amy Donovan, a
geographer and volcanologist
at Cambridge University who
specialises in volcano tourism.
In Whakatane, the town closest
to White Island, a boat guide
told the New York Times he was
receiving enquiries only days
ater the eruption. One woman
who’d visited volcanoes in Hawaii
wanted to see White Island close
up “to feel the fury”.
Volcanoes can be vital to the
local economy. Judy Turner,
mayor of Whakatane, described
White Island as the anchor of
the town, adding: “It’s still the
backbone of our economy, and
there would be an impact if it
closed to the public.”The spectacle and inancial
potential of volcanoes can
lead to excessive risk-taking of
diferent kinds. When Icelandic
authorities shut down access
to the Holuhraun volcano ater
eruptions in 2014, one group of
tourists hired a private helicopter
to take them there under the
cover of darkness.SHOULD WE SHUT DOWN TOURISM
TO ALL ACTIVE VOLCANOES?
The White Island blast is only the
most deadly of a string of recent
tragedies and close calls. Last
summer, an Italian hiker died when
he was struck by a falling rock ater
an eruption at Stromboli in Italy.
The challenge for regulating
safe passage to craters is that
eruptions are almost impossible
to predict. Donovan says
scientists are working on this,
but the relative scarcity of active
volcanoes makes it diicult to
capture suicient data.
Patricia Erfurt, an independent
volcano researcher who runs a
consultancy called Geotourism
Australia, says a blanket ban is not
the answer. She says: “Accidents
can always happen and volcano
tourism can only be as safe as the
people in charge of this tourism
sector are prepared to make it.”WAYS TO VISIT
VOLCANOES AND
STILL STAY SAFEDO YOUR RESEARCH
“Tourists tend to assume
that if they’re on a tour
it must be safe, but it’s
not straightforward with
volcanoes,” Donovan
says. Adventurers should
be conident that safety
steps have been taken.
Visitors to Stromboli have
to join an expert guide
and wear hard hats, for
example. There should
also be information about
activity levels. In Iceland,
the safetravel.is website
includes such warnings.CHECK FOR
INFRASTRUCTURE
Erfurt says White Island
should have had concrete
shelters, which would
have offered visitors some
protection from falling
rocks. Such shelters, or
bunkers, are present
at several volcanoes.
They are, however, no
defence against gas or
steam. There should also
be evacuation plans and
marked escape routes.COME PREPARED
The rise in cruise tourism
to volcanic sites means
many visitors aren’t used
to wild environments.
“Even geography
undergrads have been
known to turn up to active
volcanoes in heels,”
Donovan says. Sturdy
shoes are a must — at the
very minimum. But the
only way to avoid risk at all
is simple: stay well away.TRAVEL GEEKS
March 2020 153