ICELAND'S TOURIST TAKEOVER

AFTER A VOLCANIC ERUPTION IN 2010 BROUGHT IN VISITORS, RESIDENTS ARE RE-EVALUATING THEIR NATION'S NEW IDENTITY

- STORY: STEFANO MONTAL/ NYT

“Sometimes it can feel like Iceland is just one big tourist attraction.” Helga Gudrun, a waiter at a family-owned restaurant in Vik, a scenic village in southern Iceland, had just placed a bowl of warm Icelandic lamb soup on the table. Home from college to work the summer season, she was reflecting on the ways tourism had changed the place where she grew up.

“Visitors had spurred job growth and helped revitalise the area, but not all tourists follow the rules,’ Gudrun said. Farmers have complained about tourists parking on their land and feeding horses without permission. “One horse even died,” she said. And in July, a local paper reported that Vik’s septic system had been overwhelmed by the “sheer number of tourists’:

Ithadn’t always been this way. In fact, one event in particular had set it all off.

“I remember the summer everything just — changed)’ she said.

For many years, Iceland was a place more heard about than visited. Its name evoked Viking sagas, the Northern Lights and the hypnotic tones of a singer named Bjork. But in March 2010, a volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, sputtered to life after 187 years.

A mammoth cloud of volcanic ash exploded into the atmosphere. European air space closed for eight days, its largest disturbance since World War II. More than 100,000 flights cancelled, millions of travellers stranded and around US$1.7 billion in lost revenue for airlines.

Throughout the chaos, news channels beamed images of Iceland's lunar landscapes, black-sand beaches, towering glaciers and geothermal pools. Suddenly, this island nation the size of Kentucky, with a population comparable to Pittsburgh’s, had captured the world’s attention.

Hoping to capitalise on the international interest, the Icelandic government and travel organisations moved quickly — and by June had launched the “Inspired By Iceland” campaign. When the dust and ash settled, the Nordic island country was ready for its moment in the sun.