Slysavarnafélagið Landsbjörg, an organisation that oversees local rescue teams, recently commented on a new parliamentary bill which is to ensure the development and promotion of sustainable tourism and preservation of cultural and historical remnants, stressing that it is also vital to further information to foreign guests visiting Iceland.
The Icelandic Search and Rescue teams received 2,500 emergency calls in 2014 concerning foreign travellers, reports Mbl. The majority of incidents took place in or near popular tourist destinations and involved an estimated 6,000 foreign guests.
Read more: 70 search and rescue unit members searched for lost travellers during yesterday's storm
“We want everyone involved to help keep travellers informed and safe, and by everyone I mean car rentals, airlines, hotels, guesthouses, petrol stations, information centres and everyone else who interacts with foreign guests on a regular basis,” said Jón Svanberg Hjartarson, Landsbjörg’s managing director.
In addition to the ever increasing numbers of foreign travellers visiting the country each year, Icelanders have become increasingly outdoorsy, adding to the strain.
“Icelanders have begun to travel more domestically, also during winter,” Jón Svanberg concludes.
Slysavarnafélagið Landsbjörg, an organisation that oversees local rescue teams, recently commented on a new parliamentary bill which is to ensure the development and promotion of sustainable tourism and preservation of cultural and historical remnants, stressing that it is also vital to further information to foreign guests visiting Iceland.
The Icelandic Search and Rescue teams received 2,500 emergency calls in 2014 concerning foreign travellers, reports Mbl. The majority of incidents took place in or near popular tourist destinations and involved an estimated 6,000 foreign guests.
Read more: 70 search and rescue unit members searched for lost travellers during yesterday's storm
“We want everyone involved to help keep travellers informed and safe, and by everyone I mean car rentals, airlines, hotels, guesthouses, petrol stations, information centres and everyone else who interacts with foreign guests on a regular basis,” said Jón Svanberg Hjartarson, Landsbjörg’s managing director.
In addition to the ever increasing numbers of foreign travellers visiting the country each year, Icelanders have become increasingly outdoorsy, adding to the strain.
“Icelanders have begun to travel more domestically, also during winter,” Jón Svanberg concludes.
