Bucket-list trip or ‘doom tourism’? How climate crisis-induced phenomena became the latest travel trend

From flocking to view volcanic eruptions to splurging on ‘last chance’ Antarctic cruises to witness the melting polar ice caps, travellers are increasingly compelled to see destinations before they’re irrevocably changed by climate change. Ellie Sivins investigates whether our morbid motivations are doing more harm than good

Antarctica has seen a huge uptick in visitors (Henrique Setim)

Once upon a time, volcanic eruptions caused people to flee for their lives and get as far away as possible. In 2023, they cause tourists to book the next inbound flight to see the spectacle for themselves, while tour companies add “unmissable” volcano excursions to their schedules. Travellers are becoming increasingly attracted to these so-called “once in a lifetime”, bucket-list experiences; and little attention is paid to how much the climate crisis is responsible for the events they’re flocking towards.

Trips to places that have been impacted by the effects of the climate emergency come under the banner of “doom tourism”. Defined as travelling to places that are environmentally threatened in order to witness them before it’s “too late” and they’re gone, doom tourism stretches over the globe, from Antarctica to the melting glaciers in Patagonia, from the Great Barrier Reef to the ever-heating Death Valley in the US. And, more recently, the volcanic eruptions in Iceland.

In the Nordic island nation alone, there have been three volcanic eruptions in the past three years. Studies have found the surge in activity is linked to the melting glaciers in volcanic regions, which increase the surface pressure and thus the likelihood of eruptions. Elsewhere, in early 2023, Antarctic sea ice reached the lowest levels ever recorded, an expected consequence of climate change. The highest temperature in Death Valley, Nevada is rapidly approaching the highest ever recorded on Earth (56.7C), reaching 53.3C on 16 July 2023. As a result of marine heatwaves, the Great Barrier Reef has suffered six mass coral bleaching events and, as of 2023, 91 per cent of reefs have been affected by the bleaching.