Reykjavík Grapevine - 24.08.2018, Qupperneq 50

Travelling through the Westfjords
in late August is like travelling back
in time—only very few tourists vis-
it the rugged landscapes, and un-
spoiled nature seems to be in the
foreground in every direction you
look. This imagery stands in stark
contrast to the tourist-filled vis-
tas of southern Iceland, where the
majority of Iceland’s visitors spend
their time.
How do residents of the Westf-
jords feel about Icelandic tourism,
and where do they see the industry
going? Instead of focusing my at-
tention on hiking through the na-
ture of this remote location, I de-
cided to gain some insight on this
topic and asked local inhabitants
for their varied perspectives during
my recent trip to the region.
Strain on the
environment
On my first day in the Westfjords,
I come across Hólmavík, the larg-
est town in the Strandir region. In-
side the local restaurant, Café Riis,
I meet Helena Iris Einarsdottir and
her brother, Tómas Atli Einarsson,
who both work there as waiters for
the summer. Although they were
born and raised in Luxembourg, the
siblings’ parents are Icelandic and
they come to visit their aunt in Hól-
mavík every summer.
“I am scared for the Icelandic na-
ture,” Helena says. “Tourists walk
and drive over the fragile moss and
they throw garbage on the side-
walks instead of putting them in
trash bins. Everything has changed
since we were little. Tourism here
in Iceland needs to settle down a
bit. It ’s so commercialized right
now, and it’s putting a strain on the
natural environment.”
Tómas seems to agree, but adds
that within the Westfjords, tourism
is mostly viewed as something pos-
itive. “The majority of inhabitants
here want tourists to come to the
Westfjords” he says. “Tourism has
not taken a huge hold of the region
and it obviously brings in a lot of
money.”
Spreading tourism
across Iceland
The idea that tourism in the West-
fjords might help local communi-
ties gain an income is also shared
by Jón Sigurðsson, the owner of a
museum dedicated to musical in-
struments in the town of Þingeyri.
“Recently, tourism has started revi-
talizing business here and creating
jobs for the locals,” he says.
Jón hopes that the industry will
continue to grow. “If more tour-
ists come here to the Westfjords,
this could help spread tourism out
across Iceland more,” he says. “In-
stead of all tourists going on the
Golden Circle in Southern Iceland,
perhaps we could balance out the
distribution of tourists in Iceland
and do some good for the environ-
ment that way.”
Not for everyone
W hen I meet w ith Janne K ris-
tensen, the owner of the local café,
Simbahöllin, in Þingeyri, however,
the optimistic tone of Jón is ques-
tioned. She is doubtful that tour-
ism could or should be spread out
more across Iceland. “Mass tour-
ism doesn’t fit here in the northern
Westfjords,” she says. “Not every-
one would like it here. The nature
is so rugged and harsh, and the
weather doesn't listen to your re-
quest for sunshine for your Insta-
gram photos. It takes an adventur-
ous individual to enjoy their time
here.”
Originally from Denmark, she
and her Belgian husband, Wouter
van Hoeymissen, opened the café
because of a wish to add value to
the small town. “We’re here be-
cause we bel ieve i n the place,”
Janne says. “We wanted to be part
of creating life here. But we don’t
want more tourists. We want to be
able to focus on great service. We
want to stay true to our values. The
pressure of the Western economic
system makes that difficult. It’s al-
ways about growth.”
Milking tourism
The couple also attributes the re-
cent increase in tourism to the Ice-
landic mentality of seizing oppor-
tunities. “Icelandic people tend to
be really good at spotting opportu-
nity and then milking it for all it’s
worth,” Wouter says. “The tourism
agencies and cruise ships sell you
an image of Icelandic nature as un-
spoiled and authentic and they do
a really good job at it. They milk it.
Travel
Distance from
Reykjavík:
471 km
Car provided by:
hertz.is
Accommodation
provided by:
Fisherman Hotel
fisherman.is
&
Hótel Sandafell
hotelsandafell.com
How to get there:
Head Route 1 North,
then Route 60 and
61 to Ísafjörður
50The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 15— 2018
Travelling Through
The Westfjords
A Dialogue On Icelandic Tourism Local opinion differs on the benefits and
pitfalls of increased tourism
Words: Christine Engel Snitkjær Photos: Art Bicnick
gpv.is/travel
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Jón Sigurðsson with his wife at the
museum of instruments in Þingeyri Tómas and Helena at the Café Riis in Hólmavík