Iceland wants to improve tourism management and protection of areas

#NordicNews on sustainability and Iceland

Iceland examines the protection of places heavily frequented by tourists

Highly visited tourist sites in Iceland are better to be managed and protected. The government is looking at how to improve infrastructure in protected areas.

"The ministry has highlighted key issues that need to be taken into account when planning official policy on infrastructure development in such areas," Iceland's Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate said in a statement. "However, the report of the Protected Areas Working Group, which was returned to the minister at the end of 2022, noted that financing the development and operation of infrastructure is a challenge and that tariffs in protected areas need to be better coordinated."

Just 15 years ago, the tourism industry was behind Iceland's fishing and aluminium industries. Today, it is one of the most important components of the economy. In 2017, around two million tourists came to the country, which is more than six times Iceland's population of 348,000 at the time.

During the pandemic, the industry was hit hard, but the recovery in 2022 was stronger than expected. The tourism industry grew faster than the infrastructure in many places - like official hiking trails and paths. Icelandic moss takes 100 to 200 years to develop. It grows only one millimeter per year. If the vegetation is trampled heavily, it can take 30-40 years for some moss species to grow again. The lack of toilets also became a big problem. Therefore, more and better maintained toilet facilities are now a priority, but this poses challenges in protected areas.

Harmonisation of visitor fees in national parks is also being considered.

More on the improvement measures and challenges in Iceland.

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