Cocina said dozens of hikers had ventured on to Etna despite a warning of increased signs of volcanic activity being issued early that day.

“When volcanoes like Etna in Italy and Kilauea in Hawaii erupt spectacularly like they did this year, there are increased enquiries for tours,” said John Seach, an Australian vulcanologist and astrophysicist, who have been in the volcano tour business for 40 years and visited over 200 volcanoes.

Mount Etna erupted with intense Strombolian activity on 13 May before the huge plumes of ash and smoke that made headlines in early June. Source: Anadolu / Anadolu/Anadolu via Getty Images

Eruptions difficult to predict

“Earthquakes triggered by the movement of magma inside the volcano, images of inflation or deflation in the ground and the emission of gases can help forecast potential eruptions but it’s difficult to accurately say exactly when that happens,” she said. 

Mount Etna erupted on Tuesday, which followed an earlier eruption in May. Source: Getty / Fabrizio Villa

Just how popular is volcano tourism?

He said there’s been a 54 per cent increase in bookings since 2023.

Volanco tour booking data provided by Intrepid Travel. International borders were closed in 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Australia reopening them in early 2022. Credit: SBS News

What are the risks?

“It was clear the information given to those tourists was inadequate. The island is very remote and the tour involves walking inside an amphitheatre-like crater with no exit. The tourist brochure painted the experience as a volcanic wonderland, making it sound very much like the geothermal areas in Rotorua,” added Cas, who has visited Whakaari many times as a student and researcher.

An advertisement of the tour that ended in the 2019 tragedy at Whakaari (White Island). Credit: Phil Walter/Getty Images

Cas said the tourists were also not told that a few nights before the tragedy, there was a significant explosive event in which deposits inundated the crater area.

“All reasonable care is taken on tours, but volcanic activity is unpredictable, and no guarantee can be made about safety on an active volcano. A decision to climb an erupting volcano should be based on a risk-benefit analysis,” reads a part of the safety note he provides his tour group members.