Responsible Island Tourism

At the beginning of 2023, ITRC received a research grant from the Science Fund of the University of Akureyri for a research project on responsible island tourism on Hrísey and Grímsey.

The islands are both located in the north of Iceland and have been experiencing growth in tourism due to their beautiful nature and abundance of bird species. A total of 220 people live in Hrísey and Grímsey and fewer people stay on the islands all year round. The islands are both part of the project Fragile Communities, run by the Icelandic Regional Development Institute, where the goal is to strengthen communities and increase employment opportunities for local people. Due to the massive and seasonal increase in population on the islands, it is important to mitigate the negative impact of the growing tourism industry and ensure responsible tourism development.

The aim of the research project was to create a base for a sustainable destination development plan by studying the impact and nature of tourism, in conversation with the communities in Hrísey and Grímsey.

The research was carried out in collaboration with the Department of Rural Tourism at Hólar University.
The project concluded in the spring of 2024 with a report (in Icelandic) that can be found HERE.

Ása Marta Sveinsdóttir [asamarta@rmf.is] managed the project together with Guðrún Þóra Gunnarsdóttir.