Majority Of Icelanders In Favor Of Natural Area Fee For Tourists, But Not Icelanders

The majority of Icelanders want foreign tourists to be charged for access to Icelandic natural areas. At the same time, the majority is opposed to Icelanders being forced to pay for such access, according to a survey by Fréttablaðið.

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According to the results, more than half of the respondents don’t think Icelanders should pay for access to popular destinations, but only twelve percent disagree with comparable fees for foreign tourists.

There was little variation in attitudes between men and women, nor were the attitude different between residents of the capital area and the countryside. In addition, people’s incomes did not change much about their attitude to charging, although slightly more people with higher incomes agree with charging a fee compared to those with lower incomes. Tariff support is lowest in the youngest age group, both in terms of foreign tourists and Icelanders, but increases steadily with increasing age.

This was an online survey conducted from June 22 to July 4. 2,000 individuals aged 18 and over were surveyed, of which 50.8% responded.

Minister of Tourism Lilja Alfreðsdóttir says fees in the industry are being examined. She plans to start generating income from tourists in 2024.

“Work will be done on changes to the arrangement of the overnight stay fee in collaboration with the industry and the municipalities, with the aim that the municipalities will benefit from the fee,” Lilja says.