I doubt it's about preserving the geysers for tourists... seems more likely that a multibillion-dollar pricetag combined with the relative uncertainty of an eruption is what has cooled enthusiasm for the plan[1]. But that is a lot of power, so it's not impossible to imagine, if the investment paid off in the long term.
1: https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/no-nasa-isnt-g...