Publications

First Book about Volcano Tourism 

Volcano & Geothermal Tourism (published in 2010, 382 pages) was the first book covering the topic of volcano tourism.

The chapters and case studies provide a detailed foundational global review and assessment of the sustainable use of active and dormant volcanic and geothermal environments as resources for leisure and recreation.

Throughout the book, the volcano-based tourism sector is further augmented with links to a range of geothermal resources and attractions including geysers and hot springs, which are discussed in detail in individual chapters covering key volcanic and geothermal regions across the world. Please see the list of contents below.

Volcano and geothermal tourism fits in the nature-based geotourism category and as such incorporates adventure tourism, extreme tourism, ecotourism, green tourism, educational tourism, and hot spring tourism.

It is of great concern that some of the more adventurous forms of tourism like volcano tourism have no international guidelines for visitor safety and the prevention of accidents.

Sadly, risk management is often neglected it is therefore timely to offer a comprehensive book, which covers the most important issues of this growing tourism sector and reflects relevant global research as well as offering recommendations for international safety guidelines and sustainable management.

For more information about risk management in volcanic and hydrothermal environments please go to the 'Hydrothermal' page.

Research Publications about Volcano & Hydrothermal Tourism, Visitor Safety and Risk Management 

Erfurt P (2006) The Onsen Park Concept. Ritsumeikan Journal of Asia Pacific Studies 20 pp 125-136

Erfurt P, Cooper M (2009) Health and Wellness Tourism: Spas and Hot Springs. Bristol, UK: Channel View Publications

Erfurt P (2010) The Importance of Natural Geothermal Resources in Tourism. Proceedings World Geothermal Congress, Bali, Indonesia, 25-29 April 2010

Erfurt P, Cooper M (2010) Volcano and Geothermal Tourism: Sustainable Geo-Resources for Leisure and Recreation. London: Earthscan

Erfurt P (2010) Geotourism – Active Geothermal and Volcanic Environments as Tourist Destinations. In: Dowling R, Newsome D (Eds), Global Geotourism Perspectives (pp 33-48). Oxford, UK: Goodfellow

Erfurt P (2011) Geotourism in Volcanic and Geothermal Environments: Playing with Fire? Geoheritage 3(3): 187–193. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-010-0025-6

Erfurt P (2012) An Assessment of the Role of Natural Hot and Mineral Springs in Health, Wellness, and Recreational Tourism. PhD Thesis, School of Business, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Erfurt P (2014) Volcanic Tourist Destinations. Geoheritage, Geoparks and Geotourism Series. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer

Erfurt P (2014) Health and Wellness Tourism – An Integrated Approach. In: Pforr C, Voigt C (Eds), Wellness Tourism – A Destination Perspective (pp 235-254). London: Routledge

Erfurt P, Sigurdsson H, Lopes R (2015) Volcanoes and tourism. In: Sigurdsson H et al (Eds), The Encyclopedia of Volcanoes (pp 851-864). Second Edition. London: Elsevier – Academic Press

Erfurt P (2018) Active Hydrothermal Features as Tourist Attractions. In: Fearnley CJ et al, (Eds), Observing the Volcano World: Volcano Crisis Communication. Advances in Volcanology Series (pp 85-105). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/11157_2016_33

Erfurt P (2020) The Geoheritage of Hot Springs. Geoheritage, Geoparks and Geotourism Series. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer

Erfurt P (2022) Volcano Tourism and Visitor Safety: Still Playing with Fire? A 10-Year Update. Geoheritage 14: 56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-022-00691-y

Erfurt P (in Preparation) The Geoheritage of Volcanoes. Geoheritage, Geoparks and Geotourism Series. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer

List of International Conference Presentations Related to Volcanic & Hydrothermal Tourism

Editorial Reviews:

'This book is the first to assess Volcano Tourism as an individual sector with a commendable focus on risk management and sustainability. Covering a wide range of volcanic and geothermal destinations it is a comprehensive reference for students, scientists and tourism professionals.'  Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, UK

'Volcanoes attract tourists because of their beauty, excitement, and cultural aspects. This excellent book is an invaluable reference for volcano tourism and its management, bringing together contributions from experts in a variety of fields and geographic locations. Easy to read, full of practical advice, and very enjoyable.' Dr. Rosaly Lopes, USA, Author, "The Volcano Adventure Guide"

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. In many of these forms of tourism risk management is neglected as there are no international guidelines for visitor safety and prevention of accidents. It is therefore timely to offer a comprehensive book which covers the most important issues of this growing tourism sector and reflects relevant global research as well as recommendations for international safety guidelines and sustainable management.