Deplar Farm on the Troll Peninsula in Iceland. Picture: SuUPPLIED
“I think the idea is to attract high-earning professionals from Silicon Valley or San Francisco to spend their money here, instead of there,” explains Asta Gudrun Helgadottir, a member of Iceland’s pro-direct-democracy Pirate Party and a former parliament member. Although long-stay guests aren’t technically tourists, the hope is that they’ll rent out unused Airbnbs, fill empty tables at restaurants, and head to the countryside on weekends to explore the country like slow-going travellers.
The minister of justice, whose office handles work visas and entry requirements, has released limited information about the new programme and the rationale behind its approach, and did not respond to a request for comment. But locals interviewed believe the goal is to foster investment without crowds — and more important, without straining the national healthcare system, which can easily be burdened, given the country’s population of about 357,000.
That extreme shift from over-tourism to under-tourism — visitor numbers dropped by 79%, even after travel resumed within Europe’s Schengen Area over the northern hemisphere summer — has meant temporary devastation for many local businesses. But as in Venice, Thailand and Amsterdam, three traditionally overcrowded destinations, there have been benefits to the down time. Iceland will try to preserve them.
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