Iceland review - 2013, Page 57

ICELAND REVIEW 55
has dropped. The motto seems to be: ‘let’s
overbill tourists as much as we can, they’ll
never return anyway.’”
“Unfortunately there are some companies
that don’t prioritize quality,” acknowledges
Erna. “Not everyone seeks information and
may not know the best way to proceed. But
my feeling is that most companies are try-
ing to do their best and many offer quality
service.”
Seven companies have already completed
the vakinn procedure and more than 60
others are working towards it. When plan-
ning trips to Iceland, tourists are encour-
aged to look out for the vakinn symbol.
going unDergrounD
Black operations in the tourism indus-
try have become a major problem.
Viðskiptablaðið business weekly estimates
that while the industry generated foreign
currency revenue of ISK 135 billion (USD
1.1 billion) in 2011—8.3 percent of the
paths and making bridges but now an over-
all action plan is necessary… and I think
the understanding for that is increasing,”
she states.
waKing uP
Established in early 2012 by the Icelandic
Tourist Board in close cooperation with
SAF, the Icelandic Tourism Association
and Innovation Center Iceland, vakinn is
the official quality label for tourism in
Iceland. Companies voluntarily apply for
certification and strive to fulfill a number
of conditions, assuring travelers that they
have high quality and safety standards
and demonstrate social and environmental
responsibility.
In Þór’s view, the level of quality in the
industry has slumped with the increase in
tourists. “I travel a lot domestically, often
spending six to seven weeks traveling the
country. Where there are many tourists, the
prices have gone up and the level of service
GDP—ISK 12 billion, or around 8 percent
thereof, was not reported.
“SAF hired people to register unlicensed
accommodation in Reykjavík a few years
ago and it turned out that they had more
beds available than the Hilton and Grand
hotels combined,” reveals Erna. Together,
the two hotels have over 1,000 beds. “The
number has probably doubled since then,”
Erna adds. “The government must get their
act together and do something.”
“We are taking action,” promises Minister
of Industries and Innovation Steingrímur
J. Sigfússon. “There must be stricter sur-
veillance and repercussions, and a more
powerful internal control mechanism. The
new budget bill includes higher funding for
surveillance of all black operations; tourism
is one of the priorities.
“Moral discussion is necessary, too,” the
minister adds. “It’s almost as if people think
it’s fine not to pay taxes. Black operations
don’t just affect the state—which is bad
enough—but also many other fields, such as
road 864 to dettifoss waterfall in January. the winter season is wondrous
but blizzards and icy road conditions can complicate traveling.
a gem yet to be discovered: rauðfossar waterfalls at fjallabak in the south-central
highlands near the new Hrífunes-Strútur hiking route.