VOLCANO TOURISM Call of the Crater

Thanks to their destructive power and their unpredictability, volcanoes all over the world are treated with trepidation. Yet, over the past few years they have been at the epicentre of a new form of tourism, literally called volcano tourism, where adventure seekers go on the edge of the crater to be as close as possible to experience the power that lies within.

- GARIMA SHARMA

On April 1, a volcanic eruption in Iceland led the lava to break down the protective barriers and reach a fishing village, leading to the evacuation of the village and a few resorts around. The eruption in April was just the latest in a series of 11 volcanic incidents, since 2021, that have impacted normal life in the relatively small island-nation in North Atlantic Ocean.

Despite the evacuation, the eruption this year has not impacted tourism besides the immediate vicinity.

This stands in a sharp contrast to the eruption in 2010, when the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted, sending tall columns of smoke and vapour. So high were the fumes and so massive the eruption that at the time that they crippled travel. As a result, for three months, from March to June 2010, air transport in Europe and between Europe and Northern America was crippled, leading to cancellation of over 100,000 flights.

A few days earlier, on March 21, Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano in Indonesia erupted leading to disruption of travel. The same volcano, in November 2024, had erupted repeatedly, killing nine persons and leading to disruption of dozens of flights.

While volcanoes do often disrupt travel, they are also at the centre of driving a new, niche segment of tourism, volcano tourism, which as the name suggests involves tourists, mainly those attracted by adventure, to trek up to the top of a volcano, almost to the rim of the crater. Standing at the edge, lit by the flaming radiance of molten lava, a stark reminder of the unbridled might of nature, is an experience of unadulterated power of nature and has become an especially alluring choice for thrill-seekers; rather than a mere vacation.