Tourism in Iceland booming, but faces Over-tourism
Iceland is one of the boom markets in inbound tourism. Tourism numbers are up by around five times since the figures from 2010. Numbers are expected to reach 2.5 million this year in a country of less than four-hundred thousand people. This is in spite of growing costs for American and European travellers. Due to the fall in Iceland’s currency post the 2009 crisis, travellers are now receiving much lesser value for their Dollars, Euros or Pounds than they would have earlier. Tourism is also responsible for a tenth of the country’s GDP and nearly half of its foreign exchange incomes. The corresponding figure for foreign exchange contribution was only 19% back in 2010. This dependence on tourism however has created some unexpected problems such as overcrowding as a result of mass tourism. The tourism market is as of now concentrated on Europeans and Americans, but once it also starts catering to the Asian market, the numbers may grow even more, creating more space issues. In fact, already trends have begun among the local populace irritated by the numbers, to limit the activities. This can be a troublesome trend as travel jobs are the major source of employment and revenues for large sections of the country.
Source:https://www.tourism-review.com/tourism-in-iceland-is-a-rising-star-news10397
Uploaded Date:18 January 2018
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