Iceland is hot when it comes to tourism. This year the country expects to receive 2.2 million inbound visitors, an increase of more than 40% from last year. More than a quarter of the visitors come from the United States, brought mainly by either Icelandair or the low-cost carrier WOW. Both airlines are developing new routes to increase the transatlantic business, ferrying passengers between North America and Europe, with a transfer in Reykjavik. Managing the huge increase in tourism isn't easy. Iceland's beautiful native tourism sites can't cope with the sudden influx of visitors. Even though much work is being done to build new facilities the strain is starting to show. Iceland's tourism authorities want to even out the numbers by encouraging tourists to spread out across the country and by promoting winter and summer trips. So far everything remains manageable and under control. The country is magnificent. It's a place you should visit if you can. Now Iceland must concentrate on making sure what is there remains unspoiled. And if that means turning away a few tourists in the short term while proper policies and sustainable strategies are not only planned but executed, then that's a price Iceland must be prepared to pay. -Richard.Quest@cnn.com |
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