Tourism Struggling as the Icelandic Wilderness is Developed

Abstract

Nature, especially the wild and “untouched nature” has become an important resource for the tourist industry and outdoor recreation due to the experiences it can provide. Other industries sometimes have interests in the same areas as nature tourism and therefore land use conflicts can occur that require management of these natural resources. This paper seeks to explore the nature of wilderness experience in the Highlands of Iceland. The data is furthermore used to speculate about the conflicts that could occur between wilderness tourism and the power production industry in the Icelandic Highlands. The study was carried out with 1710 questionnaires, 51 in‐depth interviews and 30 diaries. The data was collected at six Highland destinations where power plants have been proposed. The results imply that the Highlands are an important part of Iceland’s attraction, especially for the French, Dutch and German markets. The main conclusion is that for most visitors the wilderness experience will be reduced if the plans for power production in the Highlands are realised. As land use allocation issues have not been resolved in Iceland we can expect an ongoing debate on how to use the Highlands. In order to have better tools when discussing the utilisation of the Highlands it is necessary to work on a Master Plan for tourism land use.