No Minister La Palma's Volcano Eruption is Not a ‘Wonderful Show’ For Tourists

ALBAWABA – The Spanish Tourism Reyes Maroto is creating a major row in her country for suggesting the La Palma volcanic eruption – currently going on for the fourth day – is a “great show” and a “wonderful spectacle” for tourists.

Her comments, dead seriously as reported in the UK’s Guardian newspaper, are being seen as uncouth as the Volcano in the Canary archipelago to the south west off Spain and on the tip of Africa, has continued to spew boiling lava and resulted in the desperate evacuation of over 6000 people so far with countless amount of destruction.

Speaking on Canal Sur radio, Maroto added the eruption is a “wonderful show”, anybody is free to visit the island and her ministry is making information available for tourists so they can travel to the Island and “enjoy something unusual.”

Gob smacked or unbelievable? This is the comments that are being relayed by the newsprint around the world and carried in the social media. Mount Cumbra Viega hasn’t been active since 1971 and it seems it will continue spewing lava for a good while yet. The Canary Islands’ Institute of Volcanic Studies expects the eruptions and activity could last between 24 and 84 days.

Reports suggest the lava has so far destroyed 320 buildings as well as ruined banana groves and vineyards not to mention other disasters. With the volcano eruption other seismic activities and earthquakes have been registered. At least seven ‘small’ quakes were registered on the island measuring between 2.3 and 3.8 on the Richter Scale emanating from the volcano with new fissures spewing lava that are expected to go all the way into the sea.

After four days, the situation appears to be calming down with experts saying the lava could still stop short of the sea waters and be diverted in deep ravines on the island but this is still guesswork and many are being warned not to go back to there homes before they are inspected carefully.  

If it does reach the sea, which could still take two weeks, the lava could still create all sorts of problems such as toxic gases, other chemical reactions and even volcanic reactions. The eruptions are already emitting between 7,997 and 10,665 tons of sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere each day according to the Spanish Institute of Oceanography.

Back to the Spanish Minister. She implied earlier Spain could see the beginning of ‘volcanic tourism’ as is the case in Iceland. In this case however, many tourists has been hastily evacuated from Le Palma as a result of the continuing eruptions.