Page 233 - Volcano and Geothermal Tourism

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and a volcanic hotspot underneath the island adventure tourism, including cycling, glacier
(Thordurson and Hoskuldsson, 2002; Jonasson, exploration and snowmobiling.
2007). The island sits astride the boundary between Iceland offers a great variety of tours, some
the Eurasian and North American Plates, and most covering large parts of the country, others small
volcanic activity is concentrated along the plate areas at a time. Nature tours focus on the striking
boundary, which runs across the island from the landscapes, young lava fields, roaring waterfalls and
south-west to the north-east of the island. Some majestic glacial ice-caps. In addition, there are
volcanic activity occurs offshore, especially off the organized day tours, and weekend and holiday
southern coast. This includes wholly submerged tours all year round with Icelandic touring clubs
submarine volcanoes and even newly formed where the emphasis is on hiking. Travelling into
volcanic islands such as Surtsey and Jólnir. the uninhabited interior of Iceland is limited to
Iceland’s other landform features include the months of July and August, except for some
geysers such as Geysir, from which the English specially organized winter tours. Winter tours in
word is derived. The word geyser simply means Iceland include skiing, glacier tours on snowmobile
‘one that erupts with vigour’ (Guðmundsson, or snowcats, and ice-fishing.
2007). This is now inactive but the nearby geyser Iceland has four national parks – Þingvellir,
of Strokkur is a major tourist drawcard. The Snæfellsjökull, Jökulsárgljúfur and Skaftafell.
geysers lie in the geothermal area of the Haukadalur Þingvellir, the country’s oldest national park and
Valley. ‘Symbol of Icelandic Consciousness’, is famous for
Iceland is composed primarily of basalt, similar its scenic 84km lake and the geologically
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to the islands of Hawai‘i, but it also has various significant Almannagjá rift valley separating the
kinds of volcanoes, many of which produce more American and European continental plates.
evolved lavas such as rhyolite and andesite. Glaciers Snaefellsjökull National Park in west Iceland
cover one-ninth of Iceland’s land surface and extends from the mountains to the sea protecting
Vatnajökull in the south-east covers almost 13 per the Snaefellsjökull glacier and surrounding lava
cent of the country, and is the largest glacier in fields and coast. Jökulsárgljúfur National Park in
Europe. Iceland also has a number of spectacular north-east Iceland has been formed by torrents
waterfalls, of which Dettifoss, located in north- gushing down from the Vatnajökull glacier and it
eastern Iceland, is the most powerful in Europe. contains Dettifoss, the largest waterfall in Europe.
Sea-floor spreading continues today and Skaftafell National Park in south-east Iceland is a
Iceland is still growing in size. Volcanic eruptions beautiful wilderness area and includes much of the
occur on average every three to five years, with Vatnajökull glacier.
some occurring under the extensive ice-caps. Whereas ecotourism and adventure tourism
Added to the volcanoes and earthquakes are the are well established in Iceland, geological tourism,
constant erosive forces of frost, wind and sea, or more simply geotourism, is in its infancy
sculpting its already youthful landforms even (Dowling, 2008). The most popular tour in Iceland
further. is ‘The Golden Circle’ which includes some of the
Tourism best known geological attractions in the country
(Guðmundsson, 2007). They are Þingvellir, Gullfoss
Tourism is growing in Iceland. Over the past and Geysir. These sites make up Iceland’s major
decade the number of travellers to Iceland has tourist destinations offering visitors the opportunity
grown at an average annual rate of 11 per cent, to see its most important historical area, a major
and in 2007 Iceland had more than 530,000 waterfall and an area of hot springs. At Þingvellir
international visitors, mostly from Europe and the Vikings established the world’s first democratic
North America (Icelandic Tourist Board, 2005; parliament, the Althing, in AD930. Þingvellir
Rannsoknir and Radgj of Ferdapjonustunnar, became a national park in 1928 due to its historical
2008). The tourism sector is expanding, with the importance, as well as the special tectonic and
recent trends incorporating ecotourism, including volcanic environment. Evidence of continental
bird watching and whale watching, as well as drift can be seen in the cracks or faults which cross

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