Volcanic Tourism: Is It Safe?
Just under a month ago, disaster struck on the famous White Island of New Zealand. At roughly 14:10 local time, thick layers of plume and ash took the island by storm, toxic gases, chemicals and ash flew high up into the sky and clouded the island. Reconnaissance flights over the island confirmed 19 deaths, included two people unrecorded, as well as 28 that suffered injuries, many with severe burns.
Why exactly did this happen, what warning signs were there and most importantly, what is to become of the successful industry of volcano tourism?
Let’s start with the warning signs. Firstly, White Island is not really an island with inhabitants. It is a stratovolcano which has been constantly releasing gas since first sighted by the famous explorer James Cook in 1769. This means that this is a volcano which is built up of many layers of cooled down lava and hardened ash which happened to take up the island all for itself. The smoke constantly being excreted meant that the volcano was never really dormant but waiting for the perfect moment to pounce on visitors. Experts revealed that this week the volcano was showing signs of an excess of lava, but despite a few warnings to the climbers, they hiked at their own risk.
This all was combined with the deadly blow that took the lives of the 19 as well as the 28 injured. The eruption consequently happened because of the build up in pressure. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australians had “been caught up in this terrible event,” adding that authorities were “working to determine their wellbeing”. A web page set up by the New Zealand Red Cross for families to register missing loved ones includes people from Australia, New Zealand, the US, India, Britain and other European countries.
This does not look like an appealing event for the business. People will approach volcanoes with extreme caution and extra security measures must be added. This privately owned island is ruined and the anonymous owner will not be gaining his profit. The main question to take away is whether people will accept this event as a freak accident and continue to partake in volcanic tourism or will it face a downturn in productivity as people turn away from the experience due to this tragedy?