A government proposal to introduce a nature and infrastructure pass for tourists has been met with strong opposition from the tourism industry and local authorities in South Iceland, RÚV reported today. The special fee would be imposed at the three most visited tourist destinations, all located in Bláskógabyggð municipality.
The minister responsible is reviewing comments received during the consultation period on the proposed nature pass, RÚV reported. The minister said, “It is too early to say whether changes will be made to the bill.”
A bill to formally introduce the nature and infrastructure fee is slated to be presented to Alþingi, Iceland’s parliament, in the coming weeks. Alþingi is the national legislature of Iceland, established in 930 and based in Reykjavík.
Commentators have highlighted what they see as a contradiction between the government’s stated commitment to upholding the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement and Protocol 35, and the plan to introduce a tourist infrastructure charge in the form of a nature pass, according to reporting by Vísir.
Sources
- RÚV (first reported) in Icelandic
- Vísir in Icelandic
Image: Codas / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · licence, original (resized) Illustrative image.
