Tourism Industry Attitudes towards National Parks and Wilderness: A Case Study from the Icelandic Central Highlands

Anna Dóra Sæþórsdóttir (), Margrét Wendt and Rannveig Ólafsdóttir
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Anna Dóra Sæþórsdóttir: Department of Geography and Tourism Studies, Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland
Margrét Wendt: Department of Geography and Tourism Studies, Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland
Rannveig Ólafsdóttir: Department of Geography and Tourism Studies, Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 11, 1-22

Abstract: National parks serve a dual purpose: they aim to protect pristine nature and they are intended to facilitate visitation and provide necessary services. However, as visitation increases, it becomes challenging to establish a balance between visitation and the preservation of nature. This paper aims to examine the attitudes of tourism service providers in Iceland towards a proposed national park in the Central Highlands of Iceland, where pristine nature and wilderness are the main attraction, as well as the grounds for conservation. A mixed methodological approach was applied with an online questionnaire survey among all day-tour operators and travel agencies in Iceland, along with 48 semi-structured interviews as follow-up for a deeper understanding. In total, 382 companies answered the online survey, representing a 40% response rate. The results demonstrate that there are mixed opinions on whether the establishment of a national park is the best way to maintain the qualities of the area, with various arguments for and against the national park. Nevertheless, most tourism service providers want to have a say in its governance. It is however important to remember that the tourism industry exploits nature as a market-driven commodity, as its voice must always be evaluated in light of this.

Keywords: national park; protected area; tourism industry; nature-based tourism; nature conservation; governance; Iceland; Central Highlands; Central Highlands national park (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:11:p:2066-:d:975959

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