Alda Sigmundsdóttir - The Little Book of Tourists in Iceland: Tips, Tricks and what the Icelanders Really Think of You

Hall, og velkomin til slands!

That means hello, and welcome to Iceland, in case you hadnt guessed.

For centuries, we Icelanders have enjoyed welcoming guests to our beautiful country, of which we are duly proud. Whats not to love? The landscapes are stunning, the geology is amazing, the history is fascinating, it is clean, it is safe (provided you use your common sense), and it is one of the few places in the world where you can totally get away from the hordes.

Or at least that was the case, until a few short years ago. Now it seems the whole world has discovered Iceland, a place that used to be frequented primarily by eccentrics who didnt mind navigating the rough terrain and rudimentary infrastructure outside the capital. Seemingly overnight, visitor numbers have exploded. Little old Iceland now draws hundreds of thousands of tourists a year from all over the worldeach with their own set of hopes and expectations.

At the time of writing, the population of Iceland is around 350,000 people. In 2010, when the tourist boom started in earnest, just short of half a million visitors came to the country. In 2019, the forecast is for over two million guests, bringing the number of tourists annually to approximately six times the population of Iceland. Needless to say, this gives rise to a plethora of issues and challenges. The Icelandic people struggle to come to grips with this massive influx over so short a period and the resulting changes to their lives. Meanwhile our esteemed visitors are often largely unaware of the wide-reaching impact that their presence is havingboth positive and negative. Many of them care deeply about Iceland, have made repeated trips to the country, and are very concerned about the effect that tourism is having on a place so close to their hearts. They want to know how to interact with locals in a way that is respectful and unobtrusive. They are curious about what Icelandic authorities are doing to protect Icelands environment and culture. They are indignant on Icelands behalf when they hear stories of the reckless and irresponsible behaviour of other tourists, and they want to help facilitate conscientious tourism. And they are curious about how the Icelanders feel about this invasion into their day-to-day lives.

The topic of tourism is expansive and very complex. It touches all facets of daily life. There is not a single Icelander that is not affected by it, yet everyone is affected in their own way, depending on their own personal circumstances. I harbour no illusions of being able to illuminate every corner of the subject in this book. What I can do is to try and touch upon some of the major issues, address the questions that I most often receive from people outside of Iceland, and give examples that may provide some insight into the various problems and challenges that the Icelanders are facing.

A caveat: writing about the subject of tourism in Iceland anno 2019 is a tricky business. So many new questions and challenges are arising, and responses to them are still very much in flux. Regulations are being amended, measures being implemented, government policies constantly changing, and so on. I ask for your understanding that some of the details in this book may be out of date by the time you read it. I have tried my best to omit facts and data that are very changeable and to focus on the broad strokes, yet there will be cases where figures and facts will have changed by the time you, the reader, hold this book in your hand. Where I do cite figures, I have done my best to find the most recent ones possible.

In writing this book, I have drawn on questions, observations and gripes from both Icelanders and non-Icelanders. As an author of several books about Iceland who has been fairly active on social media for a number of years, I am in the privileged position of being in perpetual dialogue with the group for which my books are primarily writtenthe Icelandophiles, expats, and others who care about Iceland and are interested in Icelandic affairs. As an Icelander, I also enjoy the advantage of going behind the language barrier and observing the discussions and debates that take place in Icelandica barrier, I might add, that is very high for most outsiders, given the obscurity and complication of the Icelandic language.

All that being said, I am not an expert in the tourism field. I am a layperson, a casual observer, discussing this expansive, overarching subject as it appears from the doorway of my farmhouse, to borrow an old Icelandic idiom. Also, I apologize in advance if it seems I am being judgmental or negative about tourists it is certainly not my intention. Yet sometimes the truth needs to be spoken, and some people may take personal offense where none is intended. At times I get irritated when tourists do stupid things that infringe upon other peoples lives or cause them discomfort. At the same time I can get massively annoyed at Icelanders when they do stupid things, like waffle and vacillate on important issues such as protecting Icelandic nature or improving safety for our visitors.

Finally: this is not a guidebook. It will not inform you about the best restaurants, the most inexpensive tours, where to observe the northern lights, or suchlike. There is an abundance of books, websites and forums to help you with those sorts of questions. I hope instead to help facilitate some understanding of the massive changes that tourism is having on the social fabric of Iceland.