Do Volcanoes Attract Too Many Tourists at the Expense of Safety?

In Indonesia, active volcanoes such as Merapi in Yogyakarta and Agung in Bali are major tourist destinations. However, communication about volcanic risks remains inadequate for visitors. Warning systems and evacuation instructions are designed for locals, using local languages, cultural symbols, and community channels. Tourists, often foreigners, do not understand these messages. They then rely on guides or hosts, who do not always have access to accurate or up-to-date information.

Tourism stakeholders, although on the front line for visitor safety, are rarely included in official risk management plans. This exclusion creates uncertainty in times of crisis. For example, managers of tourist villages or hoteliers do not always know when to suspend activities or how to inform guests. Traditional signals, such as the kulkul in Bali—a wooden drum used to alert local populations—are unknown to tourists. As a result, visitors often remain unaware of danger levels and emergency procedures.

Community-based tourism, which relies on local hospitality, exacerbates this issue. Local communities play a triple role: they host tourists, face the risks, and inform visitors unofficially. Some hesitate to clearly communicate the dangers, fearing they will scare away visitors and lose income. Yet, past eruptions have shown that lack of preparation can be costly. In 2017, the eruption of Agung caused a drop in tourist numbers in Bali, resulting in estimated losses of over 700 million euros.

To improve the situation, tourism professionals should be integrated into official communication systems. This would allow technical alerts to be translated into clear, accessible messages in multiple languages. It would also be useful to train guides and hosts in emergency protocols and to create information materials tailored to tourists.

Local beliefs and cultural practices strengthen the resilience of communities, but these assets do not benefit visitors. At Merapi, locals trust elders and community leaders to warn them. In Bali, the kulkul quickly mobilizes villages. These methods, effective for locals, leave tourists without guidance. Adapting these cultural tools for an international audience could bridge this gap.

Indonesian volcanoes will continue to attract millions of visitors seeking adventure and spectacular landscapes. But without better coordination between authorities, communities, and tourism stakeholders, their safety will remain fragile. The key lies in more inclusive communication that addresses the specific needs of tourists without weakening existing systems. This would involve regular evacuation drills, multilingual signage, and stronger collaboration among all stakeholders. Without these changes, tourism development around volcanoes will remain a high-risk activity for both visitors and the local economy.

Credits and Attributions

Primary Source

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13617-026-00161-y

Title: Volcanoes and tourism: developing sustainable mitigation through risk communication and stakeholder engagement in Indonesia

Journal: Journal of Applied Volcanology

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Authors: Adhianty Nurjanah; Jazaul Ikhsan; Erwin Rasyid