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Iceland Travel Diary VLOG

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Evaluation and analysis about Iceland

Introduction

After this trip, as a student of hotel management, I felt the spectacular natural scenery of Iceland. In addition, I also had some opinions about the hotel industry and tourism industry in Iceland. As a small island in the North Atlantic Ocean, Iceland has only 340,000 population, Its natural scenery is primitive and pure, which has shorten the distance between people and nature. Not only it has the purest air and water in the world, but also Iceland's complex landforms and active volcanoes have created abundant water and geothermal resources. It has abundant hot spring waterfalls and glacial volcanic resources. The cool breeze of Iceland comes in summer, green moss covers the ground. In winter, Iceland is a kingdom of snow, with white and pure snow covering the ground. Especially going to Iceland to see the Aurora is the ultimate aspiration of tourists for beauty. The natural scenery that Iceland has is unique and cannot be appreciated elsewhere. This is the core competitiveness of Iceland's tourism industry.

 Tourism in Iceland

When we watched the famous natural scenery spots, we were not only released by our body and soul, but also by the majestic and magnificent nature. But I noticed that every landmark attraction was overcrowded, there were many tourist buses parked in the parking lot, and some visitors came by jeep. The snow in the parking lot was all black and the road was a bit dirty. Although in general, the management plan of each scenic area is well-organized, the facilities built to maintain the order of tourists still destroy the most primitive natural environment to a certain extent.

 Tourism is now a pillar industry in Iceland. Tourism accounts for 20% of Iceland's GDP. In 2017, Iceland welcomed more than 2 million tourists from all over the world, and the number of tourists it received was almost five times the total population of Iceland. According to local Icelandic media reports, in the past five years, Iceland's economic growth has almost entirely depended on tourism, while other industries have stalled or even contracted. Tourism is a service industry in the tertiary industry. It has brought a lot of job opportunities to Iceland, and has wiped out the gloom of the unemployed. The Icelandic people ’s happiness index has plummeted during the financial crisis due to the tourism industry. Recovery and rising. The arrival of tourists has injected vitality and vitality into this island country of only 320,000 people. The business of the store has improved. The landmark buildings and unique natural scenery have become beautiful memories in people's photos. The catering industry is also booming. Both tourists and locals have benefited greatly. Although the development of tourism has brought economic prosperity, it has also changed the country's natural appearance, the need to develop the economy and protect the environment, the rapid development of tourism, and the incomplete infrastructure. These are the intractable contradictions that arise as Iceland's economic development accelerates. The prosperity of the tourism industry has also brought unprecedented challenges to this country. For example, swarms of tourists make infrastructure such as roads inaccessible, hotels are often full, and the development of homestays such as Airbnb has boosted house prices in Iceland's capital Reykjavik. I am worried that I cannot find suitable housing. Residents of the city centre are gradually being forced to give way to tourists. Young people who could not find a place to stay in the capital have left the capital one after another, even leaving Iceland. ( Bernburg, 2016)

 The vast majority of tourists come to Iceland to enjoy the beauty of natural landscapes, which puts great pressure on the scenic area. It is necessary to upgrade the infrastructure at many tourist attractions, but this will also destroy the natural features of the scenic area. The uncivilized behavior of tourists destroyed the appearance of the scenic spot. In order to protect the scenic spots, the government had to spend a lot of money on slogans and warning signs, but the appearance of artefacts also destroyed the original natural beauty of the scenic spots. Icelandic tourism experts suggest that tourists can only visit some popular attractions, and if they want to visit other places, they must pay the corresponding fees.

 The Ministry of Government is now working to improve the construction of infrastructure to meet the development of the tourism industry, such as increasing the proportion of public toilets, parking lots, and road signs. In addition, the Icelandic government has implemented corresponding measures to reduce the environmental damage caused by the increase in tourists. Guide passenger flow by limiting the number of inbound tourists throughout the year, and work to develop and protect ecologically fragile areas. These measures may reduce the pressure on tourism in some areas, and also reduce the adverse impact of the development of mass tourism on the environment. As an island country, Iceland is relatively scarce in supplies and must rely on a large number of imports to meet the needs of many tourists, including water needs. The Icelandic government is trying to control the use of cleaning agents to reduce the impact on the environment. It is also committed to reducing environmental pollution caused by transportation and improving the level of waste treatment while developing infrastructure. ( Stephensen et al, 2000)

 To ensure sustainable development in Iceland. The Icelandic government has decided to focus on the governance of the Arctic marine environment and climate, enhance the use of green energy, and ensure the quality of life of the Arctic people. First, focus on governance of the marine environment. On the one hand, Iceland will carry out marine pollution control, especially the cleaning of plastic garbage; on the other hand, it will highlight the development of Arctic marine biological resources and marine transportation. Iceland is very prominent in the development of marine biological resources, and marine transportation highlights its island nation advantages. Iceland's marine development plan is in the same vein as its domestic development plan. Second, attach importance to climate governance. In addressing climate change, Iceland does not emphasize climate governance alone, but proposes green energy as a solution to improve local economy and people's living standards while reducing pollutant emissions. The last part focuses on the development of Arctic residents. Iceland proposes to promote economic prosperity in the Arctic through the development of shipping and tourism. Iceland has also continued Finland's policy of strengthening “interconnectivity” during its term in office, promoting the use of telecommunications services and participation in the digital economy by Arctic residents. ( Huijbens, 2011)

 Hospitality in Iceland

In terms of hotel, since we are a group travel of about 20  students, considering the economic cost, the teacher booked a hotel similar to a youth hostel for us in advance. The hotel we stayed in was not big, but it was one hundred perscent sufficient for our travel needs. The hotel is small but exquisite and clean. A rich breakfast is served every morning. The room is cleaned every day. It can be said that Iceland's developed tourism has stimulated the development of the hotel industry and has also guaranteed the quality of the hotel to a certain extent. Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in Iceland. With the development of the tourism industry, the number of tourists has grown rapidly, and correspondingly, hotels have emerged. At the beginning of 2014, the number of Icelandic hotels had reached 1,100. In the capital Reykjavik, there are approximately 180 hotels and guesthouses with a total of about 3,500 rooms. If the growth rate of the tourism industry continues to grow at the current rate of 7% per year until 2030, Reykjavik will need approximately a large-scale hotel with 200-400 rooms per year. The key hotel projects currently underway in Reykjavik are: Harpa Conference Hall (a hotel with 250 rooms), Hofdatorg Hotel (with 343 rooms) and Icelandair Hotel (with 140 rooms). The demand for the number of hotels is growing due to the increase in the number of tourists. The government's unreasonable urban planning has seriously affected people's quality of life. The multitude of hotels gradually filled up the vacant land, and the city became crowded. Even some old buildings that symbolize Icelandic culture and have very local characteristics have been demolished to build hotels to ease the pressure on tourists who are in short supply. Such a large-scale construction of a hotel is indeed a blind eye. It may increase economic returns in the short term, but in the long term it is harmless. When a city loses its original style, ancient architecture, and unique culture, it will do more harm than good in the long run. ( Kristjánsdóttir, 2016)

MICE tourism

Iceland is also a country that has attracted MICE industry. There are many large companies or websites that have complete systems for customizing the Icelandic MICE itinerary for travelers. Whether it's a conference, annual meeting, industry event or for an incentive trip, company can match the right aircraft for MICE group charter to meet the requirements for destinations around the world. Below, company discusses the most up and coming and popular destinations of MICE travel. Reykjavik was named "Best European Destination Awards 2017" by Business Destination Magazine. The Business Destinations Travel Awards have been held for six consecutive years and are designed to reward businesses in various categories that have made outstanding contributions and excellent service in the business and travel space. Icelandic service providers have had great success over the past few years. The Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre won the European and European Convention Center Awards 2016 and 2015."This has been our goal since the establishment of the Reykjavik Party in 2012 as Europe's leading convention and exhibition destination, so we are extremely proud of this honor." (Reykjavik Conference Board).

Reykjavik has many advantages as an event destination. Iceland's capital is known for its interesting people, its closeness to nature and spectacular scenery, not to mention the Northern Lights. Reykjavik's meetings, conferences and events are always likely to attract a large number of people. Reykjavik has high-tech infrastructure, security, and convenient air traffic to and from more than 80 cities in Europe and North America. All this makes Reykjavik one of the main destinations of international conferences worldwide. (visitreykjavik.is)

Conclusion

Iceland's future development needs to balance the growing contradiction between tourism and environmental damage, and the contradiction between the speed of economic development and the protection of natural culture. Based on the premise of sustainable development, the speed of economic development will be slowed down without destroying the natural environment, and Iceland will be able to obtain a win-win situation for the economy and the environment in the future.

References

Bernburg, J. G. (2016). Economic crisis and mass protest: The pots and pans revolution in Iceland. Routledge.

 Huijbens, E. H. (2011). Developing wellness in Iceland. Theming wellness destinations the Nordic way. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 11(1), pp.20-41.

 Kristjánsdóttir, H. (2016). Foreign direct investment in the hospitality industry in Iceland and Norway, in comparison to the Nordics and a range of other OECD countries. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 16(4), pp.395-403.

 Stephensen, E., Svavarsson, J., Sturve, J., Ericson, G., Adolfsson-Erici, M., & Förlin, L. (2000). Biochemical indicators of pollution exposure in shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius), caught in four harbours on the southwest coast of Iceland. Aquatic Toxicology, 48(4), pp.431-442.

 Visitreykjavik, Available from: https://visitreykjavik.is/reykjavik-named-best-mice-destination-europe March 15, 2020

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Iceland Travel Diary

（When we flew over Iceland）

The first day of the trip was from Manchester to Iceland's capital Reykjavik. This is the first time to travel by plane with classmates, I believe that it will be an unforgettable memory in the future. There is no time difference between the United Kingdom and Iceland. Our flight departs at about 4.30pm and arrives at Iceland at almost 7.30pm. Walking outside the airport, for me who had never seen snow, I was very excited and excited to see the white and thick snow around and the snow falling from the sky. More expectations have been added to this just-departed trip. Immediately afterwards, we boarded the bus went to the hotel.

（Rangarping Eystra waterfall）

We went out early the next morning, and today (March 4) itinerary is to visit the natural landscape on the south shore of Iceland. The bus departed for almost an hour from the hotel. The first destination was a waterfall called Rangarping Eystra. This waterfall is not particularly large, but also has its unique charm. There is a stream that is not too wide but long along the waterfall. The water flow is very slow, as if everything has slowed down in this white world, and my mood has become relaxed and calm.

(Forest Waterfall)

After visiting this attraction, we returned on the bus. After about 15 minutes' drive, we reached the famous Forest Waterfall. Forest Waterfall is one of the largest and most representative waterfalls in Iceland. It is covered by greenery on both sides, and the water falls from 60 meters. The tall, dense forest rushed down was so magnificent that it was named "Forest Waterfall". As we travel in the winter season, unfortunately we didn't see green plants, only a white world of snow, even in the white snow, we can still see the spectacular look of this waterfall. There is a trail to the right of the waterfall. Climbing to the top of the trail can see the waterfall pouring down from a high place. Me and my friends tried to climb up, but the snow was too thick and the road was too slippery, the higher you climb up the more dangerous you will have. I fell several times because of the slippery road. In the end, we climbed back to about two-thirds of the height. （Tverijonaite，2018）

（Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach）

After that we arrived at the black sand beach named of Reynisfjara. There are many active volcanoes in Iceland. The sand of the black beach is derived from volcanic lava. After the sea breeze and waves are carved, the black basalt becomes black sand. The waves that slap this beach are also one of the famous landscapes. The guide told us that because the waves are very fierce, tourists watching the tide are taken away by the waves every year. The waves that hit this beach are more powerful than the waves on other coasts because of the cold current that flows through this famous black beach in addition to the branches of the Mexican warm current. The cold and warm encounters combined with the impact of the ocean currents resulted in abundant precipitation and erratic weather. The most amazing thing on this beach is the basalt rock wall on the beach. The large rocks are arranged in a prism shape into an organ shape. At first glance, it was thought to be artificially cut and spliced. The shrinking product is the distinctive brand left by millions of years.（Truter，2017）

This concludes our itinerary for the first day.

（When I'm soaked all over the Blue Lagoon）

On the third day of the journey, the teacher arranged a hot spring project for us. Blue Lagoon is Iceland's largest hot spring. Blue Lagoon accidentally formed an artificial hot spring due to the construction of a power plant. People injected seawater into the surrounding low-lying volcanic rocks, but they accidentally dissolved the minerals on the surface of the rock formation. The water contains many chemical and mineral crystals. These crystals have been proven by Icelandic medical professionals. It relieves mental stress and has a certain effect, so the locals regard Blue Lake as a "natural beauty salon". Even though it is an open-air hot spring, due to the developed geothermal, tourists can still soak when the outdoor temperature is close to zero. Enjoy the gift of nature in the milk blue hot spring water. When I entered the hot spring pool, I felt that my body and mind were released. ( Petursdottir, & Kristjansson, 1997)

At about two or three noon, we ended our hot spring trip and returned to the hotel to rest, because we had to stay up late at night to observe the aurora. At nine o'clock in the evening, the teacher and we took a bus to the aurora observation points, waiting for the aurora to appear. But we used APP that helps visitors detect the visibility of the aurora, it shows that only about ten percent of the night might see the aurora. Even so, we changed three different aurora observation points to wait for the aurora. The weather is pretty bad, the wind blows particularly hard. It feels that people will be blown away if they are not stable. At each step of the movement, you must bend down slightly and lean your body forward, lower your center of gravity to move forward more steadily. Although we did not see the aurora in the end, we saw many shining stars glowing in the dark night sky.

(Þingvellir National Park)

On March 7, we visited the famous attractions included in the Golden Circle. The Golden Circle, as Iceland's hottest tourist destination, contains three attractions. Þingvellir National park, geyser and golden waterfall. Every attraction is amazing. The national park is located next to a long and wide fault, which happens to be the junction of the Eurasian and American plates. The gap between the two major plates is more than 10 meters, and it continues to separate at an average annual speed of 2 cm. We walked on the road split by the canyon, looked at the towering canyons on the left and right, feeling the magic of nature. (Walker, 1958)

(The Gullfoss)

The Gullfoss is Iceland's largest canyon waterfall. The turbulent water flowed down the trend, with a drop of more than 50 meters, and deafening roar. Under the refraction of sunlight, the water mist is covered with drops of golden light, and the rainbow is looming, as if the entire waterfall was made of gold. This is also the origin of the name of Gullfoss . The surroundings of the waterfall were extremely cold. I walked upwind from the observation platform next to the waterfall like numerous countless dense needles pierced into the skin, but it was well worth seeing such a magnificent scenery after the biting cold wind. ( TO, O. A. A. 2009)

The teacher arranged the lunch time and the time of the geyser together. My classmates and I missed the time to watch the fountain because they were only eating. This is one of the regrets of this trip.

The above is all the attractions we visited during this trip to Iceland. Hope you will enjoy my travel notes.

References:

Petursdottir, S. K., & Kristjansson, J. K. (1997). Silicibacter lacuscaerulensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a mesophilic moderately halophilic bacterium characteristic of the Blue Lagoon geothermal lake in Iceland. Extremophiles, 1(2), pp.94-99.

TO, O. A. A. (2009). Iceland.

Truter, A., Chambers, C., & Alley, J. (2017). Tourism governance for the coastal zone: Reynisfjara Beach, Iceland. Regions Magazine, 308(4), pp.10-12.

Tverijonaite, E., Ólafsdóttir, R., & Thorsteinsson, T. (2018). Accessibility of protected areas and visitor behaviour: A case study from Iceland. Journal of outdoor recreation and tourism, 24, pp.1-10.

Walker, G. P. (1958). Geology of the Reydarfjördur area, eastern Iceland. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, 114(1-4), pp.367-391.

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Tour Guiding Script about Wildlife in Iceland

Iceland is the second largest island in Europe, with one-eighth of the entire country covered by snow and ice. At the same time, Iceland has close to fifty volcanoes, and the combination of ice and fire has become one of the characteristics of Iceland. As long as you are in Iceland, you will be shocked by its spectacular natural landscape. Iceland is a sparsely-vegetated country. Although its animal species are not diverse, but all of them are scarce and unique. The first Vikings to settle in Iceland arrived in Iceland in the ninth century. Before that, Iceland had only one species of arctic fox. Nowadays Iceland has a rich variety of animals. Some of them are domestic animals brought by the Vikings across the ocean, some of them have become wild animals. Now I would like to introduce to you in detail several kinds of animals unique to Iceland and their special features, and tell the stories of arctic foxes and puffins.

I would like introduce Iceland's arctic fox at first. The only pure Icelandic wildlife is the arctic fox. In the last ice age, arctic foxes crossed the sea ice and came to Iceland. More than 10,000 years ago, it happened that the sea ice was melting, so the arctic fox can only stay on Iceland forever until today. According to scientists' reports, arctic foxes landed on Iceland's land even before the Vikings. Even though Iceland's climate is cold, they are gradually adapting to survive in cold temperatures. (Larm. et al，2018) The coat color of the arctic fox changes with the seasons, brown in summer and white in winter, in order to integrate into the natural environment. Arctic foxes can be found all over Iceland, but they are mainly concentrated in the West Fjords, especially the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in the far north of Iceland. Arctic foxes living in the western fjords are not afraid of people, so photography enthusiasts who want to shoot arctic foxes can try their luck, maybe they can take pictures of arctic foxes. (Hersteinsson, Pet al, 1989)

When it comes to Iceland's wildlife, the puffin has to be said. In many parts of the world, people consider puffins to be very rare birds, but Iceland is home to tens of thousands of puffins. The image of the puffin is sloppy, black and white, cute as a little penguin, and always touches the ground when landing. Many tourists regard the puffin as Iceland's national bird, and when you come to Iceland, you must take a look at it to achieve your wish. Arctic puffins spend most of their lives at sea, only returning to land to lay their eggs in spring and summer. Iceland is a paradise for puffins. One of the best places to watch puffins in Iceland is the South Westman Islands, also known as the West Island. From the old port of Reykjavik, you can also watch the puffins, and go to the two islands of Lundy and Akurey to observe the puffins up close. The West Fjord is also a paradise for puffins. The 440-meter-high, 14-kilometer-long Látrabjarg cliff has a rich bird life. In summer, countless puffins will nest on the sea cliffs to lay their eggs! In addition, puffins can be found in Dýholaey on the south bank, the eastern fjord, and Grímsey island in the north. (Harris, & Wanless, 2011)

Larm, M., Elmhagen, B., Granquist, S. M., Brundin, E., & Angerbjörn, A. (2018). The role of wildlife tourism in conservation of endangered species: Implications of safari tourism for conservation of the Arctic fox in Sweden. Human Dimensions of Wildlife, 23(3), pp.257-272.

Hersteinsson, P., Angerbjörn, A., Frafjord, K., & Kaikusalo, A. (1989). The arctic fox in Fennoscandia and Iceland: management problems. Biological Conservation, 49(1), pp.67-81.

Harris, M. P., & Wanless, S. (2011). The puffin. Bloomsbury Publishing.

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Introduction (myself & journey)

Hello everyone, I am a year 2 student from University of Central Lancashire, major in international hospitality management. Hospitality management is a comprehensive subject, which is include many practical subjects. We have learned a lot about the ability to communicate with other in this subject . My own character is a lively and outgoing girl who likes to get along with people. Based on the above factors, this major is suitable for me, and I am also interested in this major. In the past two years of study, our school's major has provided a very colorful curriculum, which balances theoretical and practical courses, it also provides us with many internship opportunities. In this learning process, not only I learn professional knowledge, but also makes me more and more interested in this subject. Fortunately, in the last semester, I chose an elective course for professional reports after traveling to Iceland.

 Iceland has always been my dream country to travel. Iceland has spectacular natural landscapes. The extraordinary natural landscape of Iceland is rare to describe in words. For instance, its beautiful glaciers, forests, hot springs. The country with the largest number of volcanoes is also called "the country of ice and fire". If choose to go in the winter or the spring when the snow and ice begin to melt, we can see the land covered by white snow. The thick snow is very clean and everything around is white. In this fast-paced, high-stress society, being lucky to see such a pure beauty will relax our bodies and minds, make us be deeply attracted by the beauty of nature, and indulge in the beauty. We can also see the mysterious and aurora. It is a journey of great happiness and yearning for everyone.

 The Iceland trip organized by the school took a total of six days and five nights. Except for the first and last days when there are no trips to arrange attractions, our schedule is as follows: The second day after arriving in Iceland is March 4th we will take a bus to the south shore of Iceland for 8 hours for sightseeing. We will visit two waterfalls and Iceland's characteristic black beaches. The third day of the trip (March 5th) is a day of relaxation and enjoyment. During the day we will go to Blue Lagoon. The milky blue hot spring water is unique to Iceland. It is very enjoyable to immerse ourselves in the warm spring water at temperatures close to zero degrees outdoors. In the evening, the teacher arranged for us to observe the aurora. Teachers made predictions in advance and expected that night would be the most likely time to observe the aurora during this trip. On the fourth day of the trip (March 6th), we will visit the Golden Circle. This attraction includes the Pingvellir National Park, the Grand Geyser and the most spectacular waterfall in Iceland. The teacher has reasonable arrangements for this trip. In this itinerary, we visited most of the attractions in the shortest possible time, and each attraction is a must-visit when visiting Iceland. At the same time, the teacher also balanced our physical condition in harsh cold weather and the time spent at outdoor attractions. If I were to do it on my own, I would also arrange my journey basically the same as the teacher. This trip arrangement fully met my itinerary expectations.

 Before we set off, my classmates and I also made many strategies, including what items to prepare for the trip. We refer to previous travel notes of many tourists and categorize them according to the protective clothing and items needed in different scenarios, and draw the following conclusions. We start from the UK. The UK plug and Iceland plug models are different, so prepare a suitable conversion plug to avoid the problem of being unable to charge. Another point of concern related to charging is that it is difficult to find a coffee shop or other places where charging is provided when traveling outside, and that you will use your mobile phone for a long time to take pictures in different scenes. So carrying a power bank with us will make travel a lot easier. Iceland is located at higher latitudes, with lower temperatures and winds. To stay outdoors for more than half a day in such bad weather, it must pay attention to our own warmth, so hats, scarves, and gloves are essential clothes. In the choice of coats, it is best to choose a coat that is both warm, windproof and waterproof. As this season we choose to travel to, Iceland is covered with snow and UV rays and sunlight are strong. To protect our eyes and prevent snow blindness, wearing sunglasses is also necessary. An important part of our itinerary is soaking in the hot springs, so don't forget to bring our own swimsuit.

The above is my personal introduction and all preparations for Iceland travel.