Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.07.2018, Blaðsíða 4

What Are Iceland-
ers Talking About?
The latest flare-ups from social media
Words: Andie Fontaine Photo: Art Bicnick
As we teeter on the crest
of the tourism wave, all
eyes are on Iceland’s two major
airlines, WOW Air and Icelan-
dair. Fuel prices, overestimating
the number of tourists coming
to Iceland, and a lack of initia-
tive from management have been
troubling both airlines, but WOW
has the additional problem of
searching for investors. Iceland-
ers appear to be less concerned
about the effects this may have on
tourism, and more concerned with
the rippling effects this could have
through the rest of the economy.
After all, you can’t sell hotel rooms
and restaurant meals to people
who aren’t here.
Speaking of which, Reykjavík
restaurants are plagued by the
forces of nature. And by that we
mean both an overcrowded market
and poor weather. The restaurant
Nora was forced to close due to the
unusually cold and rainy summer
we have had, and Hótel Holt is
currently searching for someone
else to run their restaurant. An
untold number of other restau-
rants have had to close for similar
reasons. Perhaps this is what capi-
talists mean when they talk about
“how much the market can bear.”
Not to ignore the countryside,
fish farming is proving to be a
highly controversial topic, espe-
cially in the Westfjörds. Residents
of Ísafjörður are currently debat-
ing whether or not to build a larger
fish farm there, and the debate
is far from simple. Of particular
concern is the impact farmed fish
that manage to escape their nets
will have on aquatic wildlife, while
defenders of fish farms contend
this is not a large cause for alarm,
and that fish fugitives are uncom-
mon. Some have even proposed
fish farms on dry land. How will
that work out? Only time will tell.
Continuing on the rural front,
Icelanders around the country
have been plagued by a series
of break-ins, wherein the thieves
use a signature MO: knocking on
doors. If someone answers, the
would-be burglars say they’re
looking for accommodation. If no
one answers, then they break in,
stealing cash and jewelry. Reports
of this MO have come in from all
corners of the country. A father
and son have been arrested as the
main, and perhaps only, perpetra-
tors of these burglaries. Boldly, the
son in this case continued breaking
into homes even after his arrest.
Presumably, they will soon be put
in jail to stop their compulsive
crime wave.
4The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 16— 2018First
Are there some holes in this net?
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