The enchanting landscapes of Santorini and Nisyros may have been shaped by volcanic eruptions in the distant past, but their volcanoes themselves are of little interest to visitors. However, in recent years, things seem to be changing.

On the one hand, educational tourism is steadily growing, as major educational institutions in Greece and abroad bring their students to the two islands to study their particular geomorphology. On the other hand, with the help of expert scientists and new digital technologies, new, more exciting ways of reaching out to the visitor are being created. The mobile applications and websites created for the volcanoes of the two islands by scientists from the University of Athens in collaboration with two municipalities are illustrative.

“Recent years have seen an increase in geological interest in Santorini. People want to walk on an active volcano, they see it as a little adventure. After all, there are not many places in the world where you will find an active volcano on an island,” notes Evi Nomiku, assistant professor of geology and geoenvironment at the University of Athens.

The apps give the visitor the ability to find landmarks – mostly craters – and show them which route to follow.

“At the same time, however, educational tourism has gained particular momentum in recent years. Too many geology students come to the island as part of educational trips, usually in September and October, when it is easier to find accommodation. For geology students visiting Nea Kameni is a unique experience. At a distance of 4 km, geological layers up to 600,000 years old are visible, a unique stratigraphy due to the shape of the caldera. Santorini for geologists is the Grand Canyon in miniature,” he adds.

The “uninitiated” visitor cannot easily recognize and appreciate the geological specificity of the volcano. This is where new technologies come in. The EKPA Physical Geography Laboratory has recently created two websites (santorinivolcano.gr and nisyrosgeopark.gr) and two offline digital mobile apps for Santorini and Nisyros volcanoes in collaboration with the islands municipal companies (GEOTHIRA and DIKEN respectively). Ms. Nomikou was the scientific leader of the project.

As she notes, “For the first time, we have created sites dedicated exclusively to the geology of two volcanoes, with rich, understandable scientific material. They contain information about the South Aegean volcanic arc, the history of two volcanoes, as well as interactive maps that allow the visitor to take a virtual tour of the most important points of the volcanoes and learn about how they formed. Especially for Nisyros, the creation of a website is intended to help the island join the UNESCO Geoparks Network, which is currently under consideration.”

“We have also created two digital apps for mobile phones,” continues Ms. Nomiku (note: the Nisyros Volcano app is free, while the Santorini app is €2.99, as it is thought to be integrated with purchase). volcano ticket in the future). “Apps give the visitor the opportunity to independently find the sights – most of the craters, show them which route to follow and what safety measures to follow. At the same time, they offer information about the history of each volcano and how it was created, while the visitor has the opportunity to see 360 ​​panoramas, videos and historical photos.”