Proposed visitor fee could affect businesses near three attractions

A proposed visitor fee for Gullfoss, Geysir and Þingvellir could also affect tourism businesses in nearby areas, according to mbl.is. The draft bill would charge visitors aged 18 and over who are not tax-resident in Iceland 4,500 krónur to visit the three attractions.

The fee would also apply to Icelanders who live abroad. A reduced charge of 3,000 krónur is proposed from 1 November to 31 May. People with tax residence in Iceland would not have to pay.

Karl Gauti Hjaltason, a MP for the Centre Party and a member of the Þingvellir National Park board, said he considered it unfair to impose the fee on a single municipality. All three attractions are in Bláskógabyggð municipality, and he warned that tour operators might change their routes to avoid the Golden Circle.

“If you take a group of people by bus and do this route, this is no small sum,” Karl told Morgunblaðið. A bus carrying 20 people could face a total charge of 100,000 krónur, he said. He added that reduced visitor numbers could affect other destinations in and around the municipality, as well as local hotels and restaurants. A lagoon has recently opened in Laugarás, he noted.

Ása Berglind Hjálmarsdóttir, a Social Democratic Alliance MP who also sits on the national park board, said authorities had long sought ways to spread visitors more widely across the country. She said the proposal was still open for consultation and encouraged people to submit their views.

Ása said she understood concerns about the fee’s possible effect on local businesses, but argued that spreading visitors would not necessarily mean fewer visitors for any one region. She supported the goal of collecting a resource fee to fund infrastructure needed by the tourism industry, while saying the details still had to be worked out.