Volcano and Geothermal Tourism: Sustainable Geo-Resources for Leisure and Recreation

There are over 1300 active volcanoes worldwide and many more dormant or extinct. Some are developed as tourist destinations; others are not, but have great potential. Mount Fuji in Japan attracts over 100 million visitors per year and has immense cultural and spiritual significance, while a number of volcanic areas in national parks, for example Teide in Spain, Yellowstone in the US, Vesuvius in Italy and Tongariro in New Zealand, attract between one to four million tourists each year. In the last decade the designation of nearly 50 geoparks around the world has highlighted their potential for tourism development. This book provides the first global review and assessment of the sustainable use of active and dormant volcanic and geothermal environments for geotourism. The volcano-based tourism sector is further augmented through a closely linked range of geothermal resources and attractions, such as geysers and hot springs, which are discussed in detail throughout individual chapters covering all key volcanic and geothermal regions around the world. It is shown that volcano and geothermal tourism is a subsection of nature-based geotourism and incorporates a variety of other tourism categories such as adventure tourism, extreme tourism, ecotourism, green tourism, educational tourism, and hot spring tourism. This comprehensive book covers the most important issues of this growing tourism sector whilst incorporating relevant global research, making it an essential resource for all in the field. Includes colour plates.

Patricia Erfurt-Cooper lectures in Tourism Resource Management at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University and has authored or co-authored a number of books and articles in the fields of tourism, and environmental planning. Her research interests include risk management in volcanic and geothermal environments and the sustainable use of geothermal resources. Dr. Malcolm Cooper is Vice President (Research) and holds the position of Professor of Tourism Management in the Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University Japan. He has published over 80 books, refereed articles and book chapters. His research interests include tourism development and planning, sustainable development and management of environmental resources.