Reykjavík Grapevine - 29.08.2014, Blaðsíða 27

When I first experienced Iceland some fifteen years ago,
it was an aspirational destination. It still is, but Iceland has
since become more affordable, and thus accessible to almost
anyone. Increased accessibility has resulted in a constantly
growing number of tourists, far beyond what’s sustainable or
safe for Iceland’s fragile infrastructure and ecosystem.
Words
Ian R. Sykes
sushisamba
Þingholtsstræti 5 • 101 Reykjavík
Tel 568 6600 • sushisamba.is
Laugavegur
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Skólavörðust.
Amtmannsstígur
In
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Lækjar-
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Our kitchen is open
17.00–23.00 sun.–thu.
17.00–24.00 fri.–sat.
Amazing
6 course menu
Starts with a shot of the Icelandic
national spirit “Brennivín“
Arctic char
with cucumber andcoriander
Smoked puffin
with yuzu mayo
Minke whale
with celeriac purée
Reindeer burger
with portobello mushroom
Icelandic free range lamb fillet
with cinnamon potato
And to end on a high note ....
“Skyr“ panna cotta with white chocolate
and raspberry sorbet
6.990 kr.

A unique Icelandic Feast
Opening hours September — May
9:00 — 18:00 weekdays
10:00 — 17:00 saturdays
12:00 — 17:00 sundays
Aðalstræti 10, Reykjavík
Museum of Design and Applied Art, Garðabær
(354) 517 7797 — kraum@kraum.is
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27The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 13 — 2014 OPINION
For example, at landmarks Gullfoss and
Geysir, on “cruise ship days,” one has to
queue by the fence to catch a glimpse of
the waterfall—as if it were a ride at Disney-
land—diminishing the very experience that
people have come for. It is furthermore
a well known fact that the large cruise
groups responsible bring very little busi-
ness to local service providers—most of
them eat onboard the ships, and buy any
tours through agencies that squeeze local
operators by offering cheaper deals, pock-
eting the difference.
“Thousands of crappers”
Iceland is also experiencing an influx of
cut-price DIY tourists, backpackers and
cyclists. Whilst this might seem on the sur-
face like an environmentally friendly way
to travel, we must remember that those
travellers can also be litterbugs—after
all, who wants to carry waste to the next
trash can when they can just leave it under
a rock? Those tourists’ bodily functions
also need to be catered for—however, they
can’t hold on while they walk or cycle to
the next toilet, so the land often acts as
waste receptacle. Sure, Mother Nature
can care for a few backpacking Iceland-
ers— but thousands of crappers at popular
spots she cannot. And on this subject, the
sewer systems in our towns and our city:
were they built to take a threefold increase
in waste release? Is the government in-
vesting in—or at least saving up for—ways
to counter the inevitable?
Even when the modern tourist does
get the chance to stop by a service pro-
vider, does he use it? NO! I have witnessed
many an example of what I call the de-
struction of our country. For example, at
Gullfoss, a foreign bus pulled up by the
visitor centre, and while the group went
to enjoy the sights, a guide stayed behind
and laid out lunchboxes onto the picnic
tables (over half of that food did not come
from Icelandic stores). He seemed to think
it was his right to use someone’s facili-
ties without paying a thing. Yet he makes
money from the sale of this holiday, while
not even paying the tax to Iceland. What
did Iceland get from that particular group?
Rubbish, blown away, that they didn’t even
bother chasing after.
And are the ferry ports properly con-
trolled when they arrive; are their vehicles
vetted? I guess not, because far too many
coaches and 4x4s come carrying their
own groceries, with full gas tanks and ex-
tra fuel in the boot. All tax-free.
It’s fine time
To counter this, I suggest that the gov-
ernment establish a vetting staff, trained
to inspect every vehicle that enters the
country. Through the added revenue, that
team would fund itself and provide job op-
portunities. Cars found laden with food or
excess fuel would pay duty on it, or face a
heavy fine.
Also, any group of cars with tour stick-
ers, or registered under a tour company
name, should be made to prominently dis-
play their Icelandic tour operator licence.
I’d bet many of those currently profiting off
Iceland do not have one; they should be
made to pay the proper licence fee, and
probably suffer a fine, too. Didn’t know
about it? Tough. You knew enough about
Iceland to make money out of it—so go find
out the rules of operation! No doubt, when
the once pristine country they’re exploit-
ing has been devastated and reduced to
a theme park, they’ll move on to the next
one, leaving nowt but rubbish behind.
Iceland cannot sustain the increase in
tourism it has experienced of late. We need
to control the flow, to ensure that it lasts.
At the current rate, we will be exhausted
by 2018—as a result, fewer will come. We
need to find ways to keep the number
hovering around the 700,000 mark, which
is both manageable and sustainable. Ice-
land must become what it once was: the
country to aspire to visit when you can af-
ford it, not just another cut-price package
holiday.
How will they fill tourist rental apart-
ments during off-season and after the
inevitable downturn? By cutting prices,
of course. Iceland slowly becomes a cut-
price, low-service tourist dumping ground.
My plea to the government and the
Icelandic tourist business community is
this: listen to other opinions, because
yours may not be based on the right
knowledge and ground-level experience.
I’m sorry if this suggestion offends the
people in question, and I hope it’s taken
in the spirit it was meant—one of preserv-
ing our wonderful country and our tour-
ist economy in a sustainable and mindful
fashion.
Iceland cannot afford the destructive
learning curve it is currently on—the land is
too fragile. The transition we are currently
in the midst of needs to be carefully man-
aged, but at the moment it feels like there’s
nobody at the wheel.
About the author:
Ian R. Sykes is a retired Tourism and Hos-
pitality Lecturer, with 47 years of industry
experience. He and his wife of 42 years,
Frances, moved to Iceland four years ago,
and currently reside in Álftanes. Both have
been in the hospitality and tourism business
all their lives (they even met at hospitality
college!).
Ian used to work giving lectures in
hospitality and tourism, and he has written
training booklets on the subject. He was
involved at the onset of the Visit Scotland
“Welcome...,” initiative, training people how
to sell the same services to different tour-
ist groups. As a retirement package, Ian
learned to drive commercial heavy trucks
and buses, and undertook the World Host
trainer programme. He now works as a
freelance driver. Meanwhile, Frances also
passed her test to drive minibuses com-
mercially, and now runs a small guesthouse
that is consistently in TripAdvisor’s top five
rankings.
Tourism: The
Destruction Of
Iceland
A strong title, sure, but bear with
me whilst I explain…