Tourism in Iceland: How is the exponentially increasing tourism industry impacting Iceland’s natural wonders?

• Main Authors: Guardado, Julio, Desaro, Nick F
• Other Authors: guardaj1
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Scholarly Commons 2018
• Subjects: Iceland
• Online Access: https://commons.erau.edu/discovery-day/db-discovery-day-2018/poster-session/51; https://commons.erau.edu/context/discovery-day/article/1296/viewcontent/J._Guardado.pdf

Since the collapse of Iceland’s economy in 2008, tourism has been a leading factor in it’s recovery. However, the exponential increase in tourism has come with some negative consequences. These consequences were observed and analyzed over the span of a week spent collecting data around the country. Observations were made regarding pollution, environmental degradation, and the urbanization of natural sites. The data collected was recorded in field journals and photographs were taken to support these findings. Interviews were also conducted with tour guides, locals, and business owners in order to gather inside perspectives on the issue. These interviews were conducted in a wide range of locations, spanning from areas of small populations, to the most populated cities. Through evaluation of this data, a correlation between an increase in tourism, and an increase in littered waste was found. This result is consistent with the expectations that were speculated before conducting research. In response to this issue, a government induced balance between economic growth and environmental conservation, in regards to tourism, is necessary to avoid further degradation.