According to employees of Þingvellir National Park, more tourists than ever before are getting lost and not turning up to their tour buses, reports Vísir. Rescue Teams have been called out twice recently after tourists lost their way and took the off-the-beaten-path to nowhere in particular.
However, Þingvellir’s Interpretive Officer, Einar Sæmundsen, insists tourists are not entirely to blame and that the park will be installing more road signs in the spring to help people get a sense of where they are. Additionally Einar feels that tour agencies need to work on educating and communicating with tourists as they are going missing on a near-daily basis.
“There are a lot of factor that are coming into play here,” said Einar. “Sometimes the buses don’t end up parking where they say they will, or people get lost, and sometimes the tourists actually get left behind [by the tour buses]. That really happened this winter. People lose track of time, misunderstand the tour guide’s instructions or perhaps don’t understand them at all, they might underestimate the nature too. The weather has been especially rough this winter. There’ll be sun and everything will be great then suddenly a cloud darkens the day and a hail storm starts so people struggle with visibility.”
Although most people are found safe and sound, Einar says he worries about the visitor’s safety and their experience of the park.
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