Food Tourism Is Big Business For The Travel Industry
With Mayon Calmer, More Tourists Seen To Visit Albay
View of Mayon Volcano taken from Daraga, Albay.FILE PHOTO: INQUIRER.Net / Ram Nabong
LEGAZPI CITY — As Mayon Volcano continues to quiet down, the tourism industry in Albay, which suffered a big loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020, is expected to bounce back.
Cristina Agapita Pacres, tourism officer in this city, said some of the big conventions and events scheduled in Albay were postponed when the alert level over the volcano was raised to 3 in June 2023 last year.
"Actually, compared to 2022, the tourist arrival last year increased because there were still visitors who were curious about the eruption of the volcano, although there were events postponed because of fear [of eruption]," Pacres said in a telephone interview on Thursday.
READ: Mayon quiets down; alert now at level 1
From 298,000 tourists in 2022, the arrival numbers increased to 523,796 in 2023. But Pacres said the figure was still low compared to the prepandemic record, particularly in 2019, which reached more than a million.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology lowered the alert status of the volcano from level 2 (moderate level of volcanic unrest) to 1 (low level of volcanic unrest) on Tuesday after it exhibited a steady decline in its monitored activities.
Pacres said with the downgrading of the alert status of the volcano, they were targeting to hit if not surpass the pre-pandemic record, with the increase in the number of scheduled meetings, conventions, and exhibitions this year. This uptick is expected to boost the province's economy, benefiting hotels, transportation, and tourism-related businesses.
Herbie Aguas, regional director of the Department of Tourism in Bicol, said Mayon's alert downgrade came in time for summer as most of the tourism activities at the foot of the volcano would be allowed again.
"The operation of all-terrain vehicles became limited in some areas, so now, they can advance a bit, with the permission of the local government units," Aguas said on Thursday.
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Mayon Quiets Down; Alert Now At Level 1
BICOL ICONSA tricycle loaded with abaca fiber traverses the national highway in Ligao City, Albay, amid a scenic backdrop provided by Mt. Mayon. The volcano, with its perfect cone visible during cloudless days, and abaca are among the most recognizable landmarks and products of the Bicol region. (File photo by MICHAEL B. JAUCIAN / Inquirer Southern Luzon)
LEGAZPI CITY, Albay, Philippines — The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has lowered the alert status of Mayon Volcano from level 2 (increasing unrest) to level 1 (abnormal) Tuesday due to a "steady decline" in its activity since that start of the year.
According to Phivolcs, alert level 1 means that the volcano has a low level of unrest and the likelihood of an eruption has decreased. Mayon had its alert level lowered from 3 (increased tendency toward hazardous eruption) to 2 on Dec. 8, 2023.
But state volcanologists said this situation did not mean that the unrest had completely stopped.
The public, Phivolcs said, is still not permitted to enter the 6-kilometer permanent danger zone around the volcano.
Among the monitoring parameters cited by Phivolcs in lowering the alert status include volcanic earthquake activities, which declined to an average of two to three daily; lower sulfur dioxide gas emissions averaging at 1,148 tons per day; and weak to moderate degassing plumes observed on the summit crater.
While the long-term ground deformation data still showed that the edifice of the volcano was still inflated, the short-term data indicated deflation of the northern middle slopes, according to Phivolcs.
Gravity observation"Ground deformation and microgravity anomalies are interpreted to be caused by crystallization of the resting magma beneath the volcano," the Phivolcs bulletin said.
"The gravity is not constant throughout the world. On volcanoes, that force is especially affected once there is magma. It will either weaken or strengthen," Paul Karson Alanis, resident volcanologist at Phivolcs' Mayon Volcano Observatory in Albay, told Inquirer in a phone interview Wednesday.
According to Alanis, this can only happen when magma hardens and becomes heavier, and in turn, able to pull matter above the surface, making gravity stronger.
"We saw during gravity observations that it was strengthening [in] other areas of Mayon Volcano, particularly in the middle," Phivolcs said.
READ: Phivolcs: Mayon Volcano alert level down from 2 to 1
"In the event of a renewed increase in any one or combination of the above monitoring parameters, the alert status may step up once again to alert level 2," it added.
More timeThe alert level may further be lowered when monitoring parameters improve.
"On the other hand, if there is a noticeable return to baseline levels of ground deformation and sustained low levels of other monitoring parameters, then the alert status may further step down," Phivolcs said.
However, Alanis told the Inquirer that lowering the volcano's alert level to zero (quiet or no alert) would take more time.
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"If the lowering from [alert level] 3 to 2 would take two weeks of relatively improving parameters, and the 2 to 1 would take about a month of relatively lowering trend, the 1 to 0 [shift] would be a lot longer," Alanis told Inquirer. "In general, it may take up to three months or more." —WITH A REPORT FROM RUSSEL P. LORETO
US Tourist Falls Into Mount Vesuvius After Taking Selfie
An American tourist fell into Mount Vesuvius, an active volcano in Italy, after trespassing to take a selfie, officials said.
The 23-year-old man, who dropped his phone and tried to retrieve it after the selfie, fell several meters into the ash of the crater before being saved by nearby park officials on Saturday.
He sustained only minor injuries, officials said.
The man, who has not been named, allegedly walked on an unauthorized path to reach the summit of Mount Vesuvius at 1,281 meters, according to a spokesperson from the Carabinieri of the Forestry department of the Park of Vesuvius.
The spokesperson told ABC News he believes the man went on the unmarked path because tickets for visiting Vesuvius, which are limited to 2,700 a day, were all booked.
The Vesuvius volcano is located in the Vesuvius National Park in Naples, Italy, March 2, 2019.
REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, FILE
The man had come to the opposite side of the crater, where visitors are not permitted, the spokesperson said.
At around 3 p.M., local news sources reported the park's volcanological guides had spotted some people on the upper part of the crater, an area forbidden for solo access.
MORE: Lava continues to flow out of Hawaii's Kīlauea volcano, one of the most active in the worldThe guides immediately started moving toward the area and were able to come to the man's rescue after seeing him attempt to retrieve his cellphone, according to Carabinieri's spokesperson.
The guides also performed first aid on the man's minor injuries to his legs, arms and back.
According to Carabinieri's spokesperson, two other Americans, two Brits and one Austrian were with the American man who fell.
Some local sources have reported that there were three family members with him, but the spokesperson believes only one of the other Americans is related to the man who fell.
Aerial view of the Vesuvio Volcano crater located at the Vesuvio National Park, Campania, Italy, in 2018.
S. Amantini/De Agostini via Getty Images, FILE
The Branch of Carabinieri arrived at the scene after the man was rescued, taking him and the others into custody. They were charged with encroachment on public land or land for public use, Italian news reported.
MORE: Cellphone snapshot of grizzly has Yellowstone tourist facing federal chargesThe president of the Volcano Vesuvius Permanent Presidium and Figav-Confesercenti, Paolo Cappelli, told the Corriere Della Sera that he was grateful for the guides' work.
"[The guides] are always on the crater to safeguard the safety of tourists. So, recognizing the promptness and professionalism shown on this occasion as well seemed the right thing to do," Cappelli said.
"Having spoken directly with those who provided the rescue, I can safely say that last Saturday on Mount Vesuvius they saved a human life. I officially thank the whole group of guides belonging to the Presidio Permanente Vulcano Vesuvio, always ready and operational in any condition," Cappelli added.
MORE: Tourist helicopter carrying 6 crashes in Hawaii lava fieldA spokesperson from the Carabinieri of the Forestry department of the Park of Vesuvius told ABC News that the man could have fallen 300 meters if he wasn't stopped by the nearby guides.
He said that on the opposite side of the crater, where visitors are permitted, there are barriers around the opening, but where this man was there were none.
According to the spokesperson, it is extremely rare that visitors stray from the authorized path. Cappelli, however, said this is a somewhat common occurrence, happening about 10 times a year.
The Carabinieri spokesperson said that he does not think any kind of legal action will be taken against the man, except for a fine.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that the number of tickets sold each day equals 2,700.
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