Since 2010, Iceland has experienced an unprecedented boom in tourism. What are the reasons and consequences?
With an average temperature of 0°C in winter, 11°C in summer, and a certain geographical isolation,Iceland isn’t necessarily the first destination that springs to mind for a lazy vacation.
Nevertheless, since 2010, the island state has literally been taken over by travelers. The country of just over 300,000 inhabitants welcomed 1,700,000 tourists in 2016, and the trend is upwards!
How can we explain this phenomenon?
Iceland having been hit hard by the 2008 crisis, an economic recovery plan was put in place, of which tourism was a part. While the Icelanders did their utmost to attract more travelers to their land, they certainly didn’t expect such a result. The influx of tourists took everyone by surprise.
Beyond the beauty of the landscapes and natural phenomena of this wild island, Iceland is quite simply the reflection of a global phenomenon. Tourism is booming. According to figures from the World Travel and Tourism Council, it accounts for 1 in 11 jobs worldwide. Governments are banking on the tourism card to boost their economies, and the proliferation of low-cost flights is encouraging this phenomenon. Travel and accommodation have never been so inexpensive, with the advent of formulas like Airbnb. According to RFI, tourism has even become more profitable than fishing in Iceland.
Photo credit: Flickr – Mouser Williams
Short-term changes
This land, accustomed to its calm and isolation, has had to adapt quickly to the influx of tourists. Numerous hotels have been built and are still being built, particularly in the heart of Reykjavik, which some locals fear will be transformed into yet another standardized European capital. Airbnb offers have also multiplied, driving up housing prices and threatening the ability of local residents to continue living in the city center. The government has already taken steps to regulate the supply of tourist apartments.
Keflavík international airport will be extended by 7,000 m². Various activities are also being developed to attract ever more visitors, such as the world’s longest ice tunnel, dug inside a glacier, which attracted 22,000 people in 2016, 50% more than planned. There is also talk of expanding the Blue Lagoon, the island’s most popular attraction.
Long-term consequences
Voices are beginning to be raised against this mass tourism, particularly for fear of its harmful effects on the environment. This island, which is accustomed to low visitor numbers, is not yet equipped to receive so many people on its natural sites. This is particularly true of the Highlands in the center of the country, one of Europe’s few unspoilt stretches of desert, where the influx of travelers is threatening the fragile flora of the plateau.
Like many other European capitals, Reykjavík and Iceland as a whole is becoming a victim of its own success. If tourism figures hold up, the country will have to take steps to preserve everything that makes this part of the world so beautiful and unique.