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Evaluation and analysis for Iceland travel

1.0 Introduction

This article mainly reviews and analyses for other tourists the process of our trip to Iceland, and provides a reference for their subsequent trips. As we know, the meaning of tourism refers to behaviour and process of spending time outdoors in pursuit of leisure, relaxation, and entertainment while using business services. Therefore, the tourism industry is a product of modern social arrangements. Tourists benefit from the existing supply system and serve as visitors usually do not encounter difficulties, dangers and embarrassments during this process (Walton, 2012). Iceland as a famous tourism destination, which is an island country in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is located at the junction of the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean. Iceland's capital is Reykjavik, which is also the largest city in Iceland. The southwestern region near the capital accounts for two-thirds of the country's population (Young, 2009). Next, let me introduce to you some details about Iceland’s tourism.

2.0 The experience in Iceland

First of all, I will introduce the main itineraries of our trip. Our main itinerary is divided into three days and is a more classic Icelandic trip. We watched three waterfalls in Iceland, namely seljalandsfoss, skogafoss, and Gullfoss. We also went to Iceland's famous natural attractions, the black sand beaches known for their black sands, which are stunning. And we enjoyed Blue Lagoon Hot Springs, one of Iceland's most popular geothermal hot springs. We also visited Iceland's Thingvellir national parks and geysers. The only regret is that we did not see the emergence of the aurora due to bad weather conditions. This was a very fulfilling and fun journey that allowed us to experience Iceland very well.

 What I saw and heard while in Iceland was not much different from my expectations. Tourist expectation refers to the initial stage of tourists' impressions of a particular holiday based on the images and information that tourists have stored in their memories of holiday and destination. It can be said that tourist expectations are an important part of trip (Gisolf, 2010). Before I arrived in Iceland, Iceland in my mind was like its name, it is a snow and ice world. The sights of our trip are all in the south of Iceland, along the large snow plains, and there are modern glaciers. Overall, it's on par with Iceland in my head.

 In our trip, in addition to the driver picking us up to various attractions, he also acted as a tour guide, explaining to us the information about each attraction. When sightseeing attractions, we were free to move, but there was a time limit. At each attraction, there is an information board for the description of the attraction, so that visitors can understand it independently. Now more and more tourists like to visit the scenic spots independently, and can play in the scenic spots according to their own preferences. This is called free walking. Freedom is popular because it is not the same as traditional tour guides. Tourists are more selective and unconstrained (Chen, 2008).

3.0 The accommodation of tourist

There are many types of hotels in Iceland. There are budget hotels and high-end hotels in the urban area. Tourists can also choose hotels in scenic spots. Most of them can enjoy the scenic spots and the prices are slightly more expensive. The hotel we chose for this trip is a budget hotel in the local capital city, and breakfast is provided, which is more suitable for groups like us. The hotel also provides a kitchen for our use, and there are also seating seats in public areas and selling some water and postcards, which is more convenient for us. There are about two types of tourists who choose this type of hotel like us. One is self-driving tourists, they are more adventurous, budget hotels are the most suitable for them. Another is team tourists, just like us.

  However, some hotel choices are also related to the cultural differences of people in different regions. Take China as an example, in the past, Chinese tourists paid great attention to the quality of hotel accommodation when choosing a tourist destination. However, this trend is now changing, especially among younger tourist groups. Younger groups are also showing strong interest in other short-term rentals, apartments or youth hostels (hotels.com, 2017). In the survey results, we also learned that the diversification of the hotel industry's products and services is also one of the important factors influencing tourists' choice of accommodation. Of course, hotel facilities, security, reputation and prices are still the key considerations for tourists. In addition, the Internet, on-site restaurant and room service are also the most important facilities for Chinese tourists (hotels.com, 2017).

4.0 The attractions in Iceland

4.1 the infrastructure of attractions

The infrastructure of attractions is one of the factors that affect the satisfaction of tourists during their travels. In Iceland, its tourism infrastructure is relatively complete. Tourists can meet basic needs at the scenic spots. Because, in 2018, the Icelandic Ministry of Environment and Resources and the Ministry of Tourism have committed to invest 2.8 billion Icelandic Krona in the next three years for infrastructure construction of tourist attractions in the country. Among them, 2.1 billion Iceland Krona will be used for 71 state-owned attractions, and 700 million Iceland Krona will be used for 56 private attractions (Ministry of Commerce Website, 2018). Most scenic spots provide tourists with dining places and toilets, and there are places where souvenirs are sold. In addition, the hardware facilities in the scenic area, such as observation decks and trails, have been extensively repaired, allowing tourists to have a good experience.

4.2 culture background of attractions

Usually, the cultural influence of a tourist location is also a reason to attract tourists. Iceland has some attractions which have culture background, just like Thingvellir national park. It is the only national park in Iceland's three national parks that has been certified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site (Gunnarsdóttir, 2013). As the first Icelandic national park, it was established in 1930 to protect parliamentary sites. The park has since been expanded to protect the natural beauty of the surrounding area and become a tourist spot for tourists. Tourist attractions with historical, cultural, and geographical significance, such as Thingvellir National Park, still exist in Iceland. They are very popular with tourists and can feel the cultural atmosphere when visiting attractions.

4.3 Scenic area management of visitors

Most of Iceland's attractions are free for tourists to visit, so most of our attractions are free. Only the Blue Lagoon scenic Area is charged. Taking the Blue Lagoon Scenic Area as an example, let me introduce Iceland's visitor management technology. The visitor management system means that by collecting more and more information, the system can record the use of facilities by specific visitors and provide documentation of visitor conditions (Qube magazine, 2017). Before we visited Blue Lagoon, we need to make an appointment and pay online in advance. After arriving at our destination, each of us received a bracelet based on the reservation information. This bracelet is a voucher to enter Blue Lagoon and it can record all consumption in inside. And we settled when leaving the scenic area, which is very convenient for scenic areas and tourists.

 5.0 visitors’ behaviour in Iceland

5.1 what influence made by visitors

Following the 2008 financial crisis, the Icelandic krona depreciated significantly. In order to revitalize the economy, Iceland began to intentionally attract foreign tourists to come for sightseeing, so the tourism industry in Iceland has exploded (Baraniuk, 2017). In 2018, the number of tourists to Iceland exceeded 2.3 million, making Iceland the country with the highest proportion of tourists and residents in the world (Ferðamálastofa, 2018). At the same time, the prosperity of tourism has also brought some negative effects to Iceland. Firstly, Iceland is known as the last pure land in the world, and Icelanders have always been proud of its original landscape that has not been destroyed so far, but the destruction of natural scenery by tourists is the biggest headache for Icelanders. Secondly, Iceland has a dedicated camping area, but some tourists ignore the rules for illegal camping in non-camping areas, which has caused inconvenience to the lives of local residents (Gunnarsdóttir, 2019). In addition to these, there are some factors that make Icelanders have negative opinions on the development of tourism.

5.2 how to manage visitors’ behaviour

In our journey, although we did not encounter the situation mentioned above, managing the behaviour of tourists is still an important measure to protect Iceland's natural environment. According to established principles (ETB, 1991), the Icelandic government can reasonably control the number of tourists each year while developing tourism industry. Because all foreign tourists entering Iceland need members of the Schengen visa, except for members of the European Union country, the government can control the number of Schengen visas. Then, Destination promotion and visit information can make expectations for tourists' behaviours and explain them clearly. Next, local attractions must reasonably allocate tourism resources so that they are not over-exploited, and can also limit the visit time of the scenic spots and protect local environmental resources. These are the main solutions.

6.0 The tourism in Iceland and its future

6.1 What are challenges for Iceland in the future?

As stated by butler’s (1980) tourist area life cycle, we can get that it has six stages during the process of tourism. Iceland has been vigorously developing tourism since the financial crisis in 2008. By 2018, the number of tourists had exceeded 2 million, and its development rate was surprising. Thence after going through this stage of development, Iceland's tourism industry will enter a period of slow development. After a longer period of time, the tourism industry will decline. Besides, After the development of tourism, how to balance the needs between local residents and tourists has become a big problem. The rapid increase in the number of tourists has caused a large number of local hotels. The hotel is gradually filling up vacant land, making the city crowded. Unreasonable urban planning has seriously affected people's quality of life (Gunnarsdóttir, 2019). Finally, although the development of tourism industry has some beneficial effects on local economy, it has also led to rising prices, which has also affected the lives of residents (Gunnar, et al., 2010). This was deeply felt during our trip.

6.2 the tourism in Iceland

It is undeniable that tourism has brought a lot of positive impacts to Iceland. For example, the increase in employment in Iceland's tourist areas can solve employment problem of local residents, and at the same time, local economy has been developed and more investment has been obtained. In addition to these, in order to develop tourism, infrastructure in Iceland has also been improved. In short, there are many benefits to developing tourism in Iceland. However, Iceland's tourism industry has gradually weakened in the years of economic growth. At the same time, its development has also brought some negative impacts on local residents and the environment, which have affected the government's emphasis on tourism development (Edward & Gunnar, 2010).

7. Conclusion

In conclusion, during our trip to Iceland, I felt the friendliness of Iceland, a new tourist country to tourists. Whether it's the itinerary and the place to play, the patient service of the staff during the hotel stay, or friendly and enthusiastic attitude of the Icelandic people we experienced when we were free and independent. The Icelandic government attaches great importance to tourism infrastructure. The facilities in various scenic areas have been better repaired and can leave a good experience for tourists. Although Iceland's economy has been re-developed due to tourism, long-term development of tourism will lead to over-development and disrupt the original local life. Therefore, the government must evenly distribute the focus to other industries. In short, Iceland is a great tourist destination, but we must also pay attention to the behaviour during travel and not cause more trouble to the local.

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Iceland trip——final

This concludes our trip to Iceland. It was a great journey and I felt the beauty of Iceland in winter. 

Of course, in addition to these fixed itineraries, we also went to the center of the Icelandic capital during free time and enjoyed two meals, one is local Icelandic cuisine and the other is a Michelin-level restaurant. 

In short, I am very satisfied and happy to travel to Iceland.

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Iceland trip——Day 4

On the fourth day, our route is a day trip to the classic Golden Circle of Iceland. The first location is Thingvellir National Park, which is the only national park in Iceland's three major national parks to be certified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and is located in southwestern Iceland. 

The park was established in 1930 to protect parliamentary sites. The scenery here is beautiful, and it is famous all over the world for its fractured valleys and pure and deep parliamentary lakes (Gunnarsdóttir, 2013). 

Then we went to the lunch place and the second attraction was nearby, it was the Geyser. The Stokes Geyser is located in the Haukadalur Geothermal Valley, also known as the Geisher Geyser Geothermal Area. The famous Geisher Grand Geyser is located next to Stoke. Today, Gesheer has rarely erupted, and Stocker has become the most active geyser (guide to iceland, 2020). However, I just took a quick glance and left because we did not fully understand the meaning of the driver and spent most of our time at the lunch and visitor center, which led to missing this wonder. 

Finally we went to Iceland's most famous Gullfoss waterfall. The waterfall is divided into two layers. The majestic waterfall falls down two steps and rolls into the ancient canyon. Because the snow and ice have not melted this season, what we see are frozen waterfalls and gorgeous ice crystals, giving people a sense of clarity . The wind near the waterfall was very strong that day, it was very cold, so I only admired the waterfall from the observation platform below, and didn't go any further. 

During the trip, we also visited Icelandic horses, had close contact with them, and fed them food. They were very cute and lovely.

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Iceland trip——Day 3

The trip on the third day was relatively easy. At ten thirty in the morning, we set out from the hotel to Blue Lagoon.

In Iceland, there are many hot springs because of its rich geothermal resources. Blue Lagoon is one of the most popular geothermal hot springs in Iceland. The milky blue lagoon echoes the sky, with dark green moss and black lava, the lake is white and misty, just like a fairyland. Blue Lagoon is not only charming, suitable for taking pictures, the lake water can nourish the skin and have a natural healing effect (Tian, 2012). 

At nine o'clock that night, we planned to set out to chase the Aurora. We went all the way southwest of Iceland and wanted to see the aurora. But unfortunately, the weather was very bad that night. When we were at the first station, we also encountered heavy snowstorms. The activity of the aurora was very low, and we were not able to see it.

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Iceland trip——Day 2

The next day we needed to get up early as our schedule was full. At 8 o'clock in the hotel for breakfast, I saw that it was white and white, and the snow covered the country with white paint all night. You should know that Iceland is still very cold in March, so it is still snowy.

At 8.45 in the morning, we set out on time and started our journey to the South shore today. Our first destination is the seljalandsfoss waterfall. This is a very spectacular waterfall.

It can be seen from a long distance. If you walk back, you can touch the waterfall more closely. That is another feeling. It's like a water curtain hole, but we only stayed at this spot for half an hour and didn't have much time to explore. The second attraction is the skogafoss waterfall, also known as the rainbow waterfall, which is one of the largest waterfalls in Iceland. People can see the beautiful rainbow after the sun shines, but the weather is not very good that day. There is a trail to the right of this waterfall, which can go up to the top of the waterfall, but when we climbed halfway, a snowstorm fell, and the originally dangerous road was more difficult. At two thirds of the height We choose to return for safety. 

After lunch, we went to Iceland's most characteristic black beach. Although there is a small area next to the lunch place, it is far less spectacular.

There are special black sands, raging sea water, and spectacular cliffs. The unique natural scenery of the black sand beach attracts a lot of tourists, especially the capricious seawater, which makes tourists feel thrilling. This day's trip made me feel the magical natural landscape of Iceland.

It is surrounded by coastal mountains, with plateaus in the middle, and mostly terraces (Tian, 2012). It has formed many amazing waterfalls and promoted the development of Iceland's tourism.

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Iceland trip——Day 1

Because of the course, we have the opportunity to travel to Iceland in march. Iceland is a famous tourist destination. It is an independent island located at the junction of the North Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. It is a volcanic country with frequent geological activities (book, 2006). On the first day of the trip, most of the time was spent on the way to the destination. At 11.30am we departed from Preston to Manchester Airport and finally arrived in Iceland at around 8.30pm Hotels in the capital of Iceland.

After arriving at the hotel on the first day, we were all very tired and hungry. In the downtown area not far from the hotel, we simply and quickly solved the first meal. Fortunately, on our way back to the hotel, we saw the first snow in Iceland. Although it was not big, it made me feel very romantic. Iceland's first impression was very beautiful.

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Iceland’s festival in March

Since our itinerary is scheduled for March, then I think many people will wonder what Iceland will look like in March? I would like to take this opportunity to briefly introduce some of the festivals in Iceland in March.

The first is food and fun. Every year in early March, Food & Fun is held in Reykjavik, Iceland. World famous chefs will gather in Iceland. They will work with participating restaurants to prepare special menus using only local Icelandic ingredients. In addition, a cooking contest will be held on the last day of the festival, where each chef will cook his three skilled dishes on site. For food lovers, going to the scene is a real treat. I recommend it to everyone (mostly interested in this festival), you can search the Internet for Icelandic restaurants that participated in the food festival that year, and plan a "gourmet" route to taste limited Icelandic authentic cuisine. This year, the Icelandic Food and Entertainment Festival will be held from March 4th to 8th.

The second festival is stockfish film festival. The Stockfish Film Festival is a festival for the Icelandic film industry. Founded in 2015, it is the reincarnation version of the Reykjavik Film Festival, which was founded in 1978. The purpose of this film festival is to create a platform in Reykjavik to encourage cooperation between the film industry at home and abroad, and at the same time provide an opportunity for the general audience to watch some of the more promising art films in the world. This year, the 6th Film Festival is held from March 12 to 22, in collaboration with the Icelandic Film Centre and all professional film associations in Iceland.

From March 20th to 22nd, Iceland ’s ski capital, Akureyri, will host the fourth Iceland Winter Games. Since 2014, the IWG has become one of Europe's largest winter festivals, and its activities include skiing and snowboarding. In addition to the various events hosted by the Iceland Winter Games, the Iceland Winter Games also offer many amazing and "once in a lifetime" opportunities. People will have the opportunity to ski under the northern lights, and also start skiing trips from the peaks of the Troll Peninsula, as well as arctic horse riding, snowmobile racing, etc., which are not experienced in other places in the world.

Finally, Iceland will hold a design festival from March 25th to 29th this year. Design March is Iceland's annual design festival, and this year it is held twelve times. It transformed the northernmost capital of the world into a large design space. From fashion to furniture, from architecture to the environment, from food to product design, the festival showcases not only the best local designs, but also exhilarating international popularity. The festival starts with Design Talks, and the one-day lecture is provided by internationally renowned designers and local design thinkers.

All in all, Iceland has a lot of festivals every year. Almost every month, there are some unique festivals. If you want to go to Iceland in other months later, you can learn about them in advance and participate in these interesting festivals.

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A introduction about myself

Hello, everybody. This is my first blog. At the beginning of the blog, let me introduce myself. My name is Tingbing Wu, a student come from china, and now, I study in the university of central Lancashire in UK. My major is hospitality management, which is a very interesting subject. In the two years of study, I have learned a lot of basic knowledge of management, such as human resources, marketing and so on. All in all, I like this profession.

I have a lot of hobbies. When I am at home, I like to study cooking and make some food. Although the recipes are from the Internet, the finished products are good. I also like listening to music and reading novels. But besides this, one of my biggest hobbies is photography. It is a coincidence that I like photography because I admire a photographer very much. His admiration for photography has made me admire so I started to learn photography by myself. I am good at shooting landscapes. Whenever I photograph some beautiful and magnificent natural landscapes, I feel particularly fulfilled. I think photography is the best way to record other than eyes.

I personally like the feeling of travelling very much. I think travelling is a good opportunity for us to learn about the culture of a different place and so on. I have had some travel experiences in small parts of Asia and South America, and during these trips, I have experienced many different styles. This time, I am fortunate to be able to take the opportunity of this course to travel to Iceland. As we all know, Iceland's natural scenery and culture are unique in both Northern Europe and the world. Probably in everyone's mind, the mention of Iceland will remind of the aurora, the glaciers, and the volcano. I am no exception. From the arrangement of this trip, I know that we will go to the south shore, blue lagoon, golden circle trip, and have the opportunity to pursue the Aurora. Among them, what I am looking forward to is the schedule of blue lagoon and chasing Aurora. As a southern Chinese, there are many hot springs in my hometown, so I would like to experience the hot springs of blue lagoon. Aurora is Iceland's most anticipated project. Although the probability of seeing it is uncertain, it is still desirable. Besides, I also hope that I can learn something about hospitality to help me learn.

Before the trip started, I did a lot of preparation. The biggest problem is visas. It took us a month to prepare for the Schengen visa. We need to make an appointment in advance, prepare materials and so on. I also watched many travel tips for Iceland. Weather and clothing are things to pay attention to. The only regret is that I did not bring professional photography equipment and could only rely on my phone to shoot, but now there are also a lot of photography software that can solve this problem.