Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.04.2014, Blaðsíða 16

According to many sources, the idea of the Nature Pass
has, in one iteration or another, been floating around in
the Icelandic ether for at least a few years. But while it’s
become the fee-collection method of choice for many
prominent politicians and “stakeholders,” it was hardly
the only option on the table. So what were some of the
others? At least one substantive report was commis-
sioned to review, though not specifically advocate for,
various fee-collection options: The “Overview of Fee
Collection Methods” which was produced by the Ice-
landic consulting group Alta at the behest of the Icelan-
dic Tourist Board (hereby referred to as the Alta report).
Here’s a summary of its survey.
According to the Ministry of Indus-
tries and Innovation, if the Nature
Pass is approved by Alþingi in a form
similar to the current proposal, Ice-
landers and foreign tourists alike will
be required to pay for access to all na-
ture sites owned by the Icelandic gov-
ernment. Revenue raised in this man-
ner would be placed in a Nature Pass
fund and doled out for various pur-
poses, principally the maintenance of
existing sites within the Nature Pass
system and the development of new
sites in more seldom-visited parts of
the country. The funds could then be
used for footpath construction and
erosion control, as well as for infra-
structure development, including
roads, parking lots and bathrooms.
Municipalities as well as private
landowners or landowners’ associa-
tions may voluntarily include their
lands in the Nature Pass system, but
would not be required to. If they did,
they would gain access to a share of
the Nature Pass fund, but would no
longer be allowed to charge entry fees
at their nature sites.
The pass, which will likely be
available for purchase online and at
select locations in Iceland, would cost
the same for tourists and Icelanders
alike: 2,000 ISK for a four-day pass,
3,000 ISK for four weeks, or 5,000
ISK for five years. There would be
no turnstiles or fences at the sites;
visitors would instead be subject to
random spot checks by officials, and
those without a Nature Pass would
be subject to a fine. The Ministry for
Industries and Innovation may also
develop a smartphone app that would
allow tourists to purchase one on site.
Alþingi will vote on a 12-year fund-
ing plan with a general overview of
where funds are needed. The Ministry
for the Environment, in collaboration
with a committee that includes repre-
sentatives of private landowners, mu-
nicipalities and The Icelandic Travel
Industry Association, will come up
with more specific three-year funding
plans that take into account shifting
priorities or emerging needs. It will
also determine which additional pro-
grammes should receive funding—
such as the volunteer-based Icelandic
Association for Search and Rescue,
which often comes to the aid of tour-
ists.
Stakeholders Meet
And Discuss
A handful of privately funded studies
from 2013 provided the initial con-
cept that eventually developed into
today’s Nature Pass proposal. Chief
among these was the Boston Con-
sulting Group (BCG) report, “North-
ern Sights: The future of tourism in
Iceland,” which was endorsed by the
current Progressive/Independence
coalition government. The authors of
the report concluded that “a multi-site
access charge achieves more of the
objectives than the alternatives” (see
“Highlights From The BCG Report”).
This opinion was widely accepted
by the time the Ministry for Indus-
tries and Innovation invited stake-
holders to meet and contribute ideas
to the Nature Pass law, according to
Þorsteinn Svavar McKinstry, one of
those stakeholders and a member of
the Iceland Tourist Guide Associa-
tion’s board of directors. “Most every-
one is determined to do this, but we
have slightly different ideas of how it
should be done,” Þorsteinn says.
The consultation group met a total
of four times starting in November
of last year. Each meeting lasted just
a few hours. It was never the goal to
co-write a draft of the legislation at
these meetings. Rather, individual
stakeholders were there to represent
the interests of their various groups—
Departure Or Arrival Fee
In this collection scheme, anyone
travelling into or out of the country
is charged a f lat fee. This fee applies
to both citizens and foreigners alike.
Countries that use this method often
simplify the process by making airline
companies collect the fee as a ticket
surcharge. Some countries collect the
fee directly from travellers at the air-
port instead. Departure or arrival fees
can also be collected at other points of
entry, such as cruise ship ports.

Single-Site Admission Fees
Many countries charge some form of
admission fee for entrance to natu-
ral sites, particularly national parks
or protected areas. These fees do not
preclude additional charges, service
fees, or points of sale once within the
park. The Alta report cites studies in
Australia and Tasmania, which show
that admission fees are met with more
approval by guests if they go directly
to the park or preserve rather than a
general state fund.
Fee For Overnight
Accommodation
Fees added to the cost of overnight
lodging are rather common whether
they are charged per person, per
room, per apartment, etc. There are
also often different levels of fees at-
tached to different kinds of lodgings
as determined by quality—so the fee
for a suite in a full-service spa, for
instance, will be higher than that on
a tent at a campground or a bed in a
common room in a hostel.
Car Rental Fee
At least 38 states in the US include an
added fee on car rentals. (The Alta re-
port does not indicate if car rental fees
are charged in other countries.)
Cruise Ship Fee
Many countries that experience a
high volume of cruise ships charge
associated fees, either per-passenger
or per night of portage. These fees are
generally used to build up and main-
tain port infrastructures and facili-
ties, as well as for nature conservation
purposes.

Travel Authorisation Fee
Travel Authorisation Fees are collect-
ed in several countries from travellers
who do not need visas for short travel
16The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 4 — 2014
The Nature Pass
And Its Discontents
The Other Options
— Jonathan Pattishall
For all the controversy surrounding the proposed Nature Pass legislation, there has been precious little information available as to
what the law would specifically entail. Based on recent interviews with officials in the Ministry for Industries and Innovation, which
is responsible for drafting the Nature Pass legislation, as well as on comments from members of a consultation group assembled by the
ministry to propose ideas for the Nature Pass, a clearer image has finally emerged, of a surprisingly simple law.
“There’s a parking lot, a
bench and a picnic table
there, but there are no
toilet facilities. You can
walk around for days
and not see a single
toilet.”
Axel Sigurðarson