Papers by Anna Sæþórsdóttir
Land, Nov 17, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Journal of Tourism Research and Hospitality, 2017
Many travellers seek wilderness areas to experience unspoilt nature, remoteness and solitude. Mai... more Many travellers seek wilderness areas to experience unspoilt nature, remoteness and solitude. Maintaining these conditions, however, becomes increasingly difficult once a wilderness area becomes a popular tourist destination, making planning a vital task if areas are to be sustained as wilderness. Given that the wilderness concept is hotly debated, it becomes highly challenging to use in practical work, such as planning. Lately, tourism in Iceland has increased at a rapid rate. The country's uninhabited Central Highlands are characterized by wilderness landscapes which nowadays attract many tourists. With increased tourism and other land uses, this wilderness landscape is rapidly changing. Iceland's first National Planning Strategy (NPS) for the Central Highlands has recently been approved by the Icelandic parliament. This paper reviews the extent to which the planning strategy takes tourists' preferences into consideration and to critically discuss the challenges of tourism planning in wilderness areas. The results highlight the paradox existing between wilderness and tourism development, demonstrating the critical importance of planning tourism in the wild. Despite the fact that the emphasis of the NPS is placed on preserving the wilderness areas of the Highlands, increased accessibility and the availability of tourism facilities are also stressed, thus leaving a door open for the anthropocentric perspective. Therefore some highly debatable issues are left unclear, allowing for open interpretations for the various stakeholders of where and how much tourism development is considered appropriate in the Icelandic Central Highlands.
International Journal of Sustainable Energy, Oct 31, 2017
ABSTRACT As a response to the threat of climate change, many nations are increasing their use of ... more ABSTRACT As a response to the threat of climate change, many nations are increasing their use of renewable energy, including wind energy. Large wind farms often conflict with other land uses, particularly tourism, which is a growing industry worldwide. In Iceland, tourism has recently become the largest export sector, with majority of tourists travelling to the country to experience its nature. This paper examines tourists’ opinions and perceptions of wind power development in the Southern Highlands of Iceland and compares how number, size and proximity of wind turbines, and the landscape in which they are situated, influence tourists’ perceptions. The study is based on an on-site questionnaire survey conducted in 2015. The results indicate that one-third of the travellers would be less likely to visit the Southern Highlands if a proposed wind farm were built, and two-thirds think that wind turbines would decrease the area’s attractiveness.
Land Use Policy, Nov 1, 2019
Over the last decades the harnessing of wind power has gained increasing popularity and is curren... more Over the last decades the harnessing of wind power has gained increasing popularity and is currently believed to be one of world's best environmental options in seeking to meet the international target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least half by the year 2050. There is undeniably an abundance of wind resources in Iceland. But what impact would the harnessing of this power have on the country's growing tourism industry? This paper focuses on the dynamics existing between wind farming, residents and tourism. Its overall aim is to evaluate the attitudes of local residents and tourism service providers in Southern Iceland towards the country's first proposed wind farm, which is to be located at the edge of Iceland's Southern highlands, and to critically discuss the causal relationship between the landscape and these attitudes. An on-site questionnaire was distributed to residents in the municipalities adjacent to the proposed wind farm. Interviews were also conducted with residents and tourist service providers. The results indicate that the relationship between residents and the landscape of the proposed site is based on its use as highland pasture and the residents' romantic conception of the landscape, which for centuries has been characterized by wildness and remoteness. This conception seems to linger on despite gradually increasing hydropower production in the area. The associations made by tourist service providers with the area differ since they are selling a certain image, that of unspoilt nature and wilderness. Wind turbines would be a new and prominent presence in the Icelandic landscape likely to transform the area from its previous perceived wild and natural state. As such, social acceptance of the location of wind farms in the Icelandic highlands is more critical than in the case of more traditional ways of harnessing renewable energy.
Journal of outdoor recreation and tourism, Mar 1, 2017
Semi-wilderness areas located at the edge of the wild may be seen as buffer zones between the mor... more Semi-wilderness areas located at the edge of the wild may be seen as buffer zones between the more isolated wilderness and the urbanized environments. Increased tourism in semi-wilderness areas has put pressure on increased accessibility, placing at risk many of the features attracting tourists. Hence, wilderness areas with increasing access are facing a variety of challenges. Using visitor experiences in the management of such areas has been identified as a powerful tool. This study aims to assess the experiences and preferences for environmental conditions and infrastructure in a semi-wilderness area among day and overnight visitors, foreseeing increased accessibility at the edge of the southern highlands of Iceland. Based on a questionnaire survey, preferences of day and overnight visitors were compared using independent t-tests, and the impact of length of stay and level of purism on infrastructure preferences was explored using two-way ANOVA. A significant difference is found between day and overnight visitors regarding their tolerance for crowding and needs for infrastructure; overnight visitors being more sensitive in both cases, day visitors expressing greater needs for facilities and services. Furthermore, length of stay is more important than the purism score in determining infrastructural preferences. It is concluded that the expected growth in day visitor numbers is likely to result in degrading wilderness values available for overnight visitors who seek solitude and limited infrastructure. Management approaches: Planning semi-wilderness areas as a response to increasing levels of accessibility, with the resulting shift in wilderness-values, will cause further changes in visitor types attracted to the area. By identifying the type and extent of impact that the establishment of extensive infrastructure improvements and improved access can have on the experiences of day and overnight visitors, their effects can be examined and addressed in a flexible manner by management, in order to preserve the attractiveness of the area and the wilderness experience in semi-wildernesses.
Land, Jun 30, 2021
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Journal of management and sustainability, Nov 25, 2018
The rapid increase of tourism in the Arctic highlights the critical importance of holistic planni... more The rapid increase of tourism in the Arctic highlights the critical importance of holistic planning of land use for tourism to ensure that recreational activities are only developed where natural and cultural environment is able to sustain their impact. This paper aims to devise a holistic plan for use of land for Icelandic tourism based on landscape analysis and stakeholders' perceptions, and to critically discuss the role of holistic approaches and zoning principles in such planning with regard to different market groups of visitors. A case study was conducted in Skaftárhreppur municipality in southern Iceland. Geographical information systems (GIS) were used to analyse its suitability for the various forms of recreational activity based on stakeholders' perceptions, landscape sensitivity, the area's recreational opportunity spectrum (ROS), and visitor type according to the purism scale model. The results reveal a lack of balance between the area's current recreational use and its landscape sensitivity, something which reflects many of the negative aspects of the exponential growth within Icelandic tourism which has taken place over the past decade. The results further stress the importance of appropriate infrastructure to channel the increasing flow of mass tourism and to direct this flow to carefully chosen focal points. In seeking to develop site-specific zoning for the different market groups, focal points have proven to be a critical management tool. By controlling the number, type and location of visitors, their flow is regulated, and thereby the impact of tourism is managed. The use of well-defined focal points in the zoning procedures will reduce the environmental and social pressure from tourism, reduce the cost of maintaining infrastructure incurred by communities, ensure visitor satisfaction, and protect the most sensitive areas from overexploitation by tourism.
TemaNord, 2018
Recently, the Nordic countries have experienced rapid increases in the influx of tourists. Unprec... more Recently, the Nordic countries have experienced rapid increases in the influx of tourists. Unprecedented growth in the numbers of visitors to some nature attractions and destinations has resulted in crowding, environmental damage, costly rescue operations and overload on common goods such as public infrastructure. The most immediate answer is the further development of infrastructures, such as improved transport solutions and extended onsite services. These kinds of measures are often designed within a short-term perspective and may prove to create further sustainability challenges in a long-term perspective. Achieving a sustainable development of tourism implies complex processes that require policy and planning to take environmental, social and economic dimensions into consideration within a long-term perspective. Responding to the dramatic increase in visitation to certain vulnerable nature areas and sites, regulation of the volume of visitors by the use economic instruments has been proposed. In the Nordic countries some of these instruments, such as entrance fees, are challenging due to both legal and political principles of public rights of access. While revenues from concessions and licence permits given to tour operators can contribute to management budgets, these instruments can also serve to control the scale of visitation. Due to the legal and administrative restrictions on commercial operations of activities in nature areas, especially in protected areas, as well as the public rights of access, it is uncertain how attractive concession and licence permits will be for tourism companies in the Nordic countries. To cover some of the expenses caused by the increasing influx of visitors (e.g. overloading the existing infrastructure), tourist tax and an increased VAT on typical tourist products (accommodation, guiding and tour services, etc.) have been proposed in both Norway and Iceland. Currently, this seems to lack sufficient political support. An alternative solution is destination management organizations (DMO), which is based on collaboration between different private and public stakeholders in funding and operating the management of attractions and destinations. Adaptive management approaches based on the inclusion of a wide range of stakeholders in the planning processes have been implemented in the management of nature areas in many parts of the Nordic countries (see e.g. Kaltenborn, Mehmetoglu, and Gundersen, 2017; Andersen, Gundersen, Strand, Wold, and Vistad, 2014). With respect to the zoning of activities and the channelling of traffic, adaptive management appears as a relatively efficient way of achieving sustainable solutions at much-visited nature attraction sites. In addition, adaptive management strategies often involve socalled soft management strategies associated with information, knowledge transmission, guiding, etc. Since guides can play a significant role in influencing visitors' behaviour, recruiting guides with good skills in programmes visitors find attractive can be an efficient instrument. While it often requires extensive and long-running Policies that promote the dispersion of visitors on to a larger number of attractions or destinations should be developed. This can be achieved by using marketing strategies and by developing infrastructures to make more attractions more easily available and more attractive. A stronger commitment to policies emphasizing the development of tourism that can be economically sustainable without any further growth in the number of visitors. This requires that a proper sectorial integration on local, regional and national levels is ensured, which will enable policy and planning processes to better take environmental, social and economic dimensions equally into consideration in a long-term perspective.
Energy for Sustainable Development, Feb 1, 2020
To counteract the threat of global warming, many nations have resorted to increasing their use of... more To counteract the threat of global warming, many nations have resorted to increasing their use of renewable energy sources, wind farms being among the most popular. The greatest obstacle when it comes to the acceptance of wind farms is their visual impact. Recently, tourism has become Iceland's largest export sector, the country's natural landscape being the main attraction for visitors. This paper attempts to compare the perception of residents and tourists towards wind energy production in general and towards Iceland's first proposed wind farm, to be located at the edge of the country's uninhabited interior Central Highlands. The study is based on a questionnaire survey conducted among residents living adjacent to the proposed wind farm and among tourists travelling through the proposed area. The results indicate that residents are more positive than tourists towards wind turbines and consider them less intrusive in the landscape. Hence, the location of Iceland's first wind farm at the main gateway into the country's Central Highlands is problematic and likely to disturb the experience of tourists passing through the area. Despite the wealth of wind in Iceland it might be challenging to utilize it for energy production due to the importance of nature-based tourism for the economy. If Iceland becomes a physical exporter of renewable energy, it may be expected that more pressure will be set on the construction of wind farms. Thereby nature-based tourism and wind energy would be in direct competition over land use.
Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Sep 9, 2020
Developing a better understanding of visitor perceptions and satisfaction is integral to gaining ... more Developing a better understanding of visitor perceptions and satisfaction is integral to gaining insights into the pressures that lead to both overtourism and the under-utilisation of tourist attractions, including natural areas. Despite longstanding recognition of their value in monitoring and evaluating change there is a dearth of longitudinal studies in tourism. This study examines changing patterns of visitor use and satisfaction over time at Landmannalaugar, an internationally recognised wilderness area, in Iceland, a country which has been one of the focal points of concern as to the effects of overtourism. A questionnaire survey has been conducted in Landmannalaugar in the summers of 2000, 2009 and 2019 using the same questionnaire and distributed by the same method. Visitor satisfaction fell over the study period and crowding issues became much more important to tourists over time. Despite being based on a single site the research highlights the importance of long-term monitoring for visitor and site management as well as developing a better understanding of concepts of change in natural area tourism management.
Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, Jul 11, 2023
Sustainability, Jul 2, 2019
The Icelandic economy has transitioned from being dependent on fishing and agriculture to having ... more The Icelandic economy has transitioned from being dependent on fishing and agriculture to having tourism and refined aluminum as its main exports. Nevertheless, the new main industries still rely on the country's natural resources, as the power intensive industry uses energy from rivers and geothermal areas whereas tourism uses the natural landscape, where geysers, waterfalls and thermal pools are part of the attraction to visitors. Although both industries claim to contribute to sustainability they utilize the same resources, and land-use conflicts can be expected, illustrating the contestation that can occur between different visions and understandings of sustainability. This paper focuses on the attitudes of Icelandic tourism operators towards power production and proposed power plants using data from questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. Results show that the majority of Icelandic tourism operators assume further power utilization would be in conflict with nature-based tourism, and they are generally negative towards all types of renewable energy development and power plant infrastructure. Respondents are most negative towards transmission lines, reservoirs and hydro power plants in the country's interior Highlands. About 40% of the respondents perceive that existing power plants have negatively affected tourism, while a similar proportion think they had no impact. According to the respondents, the two industries could co-exist with improved spatial planning, management and inter-sectoral cooperation.
Energy research and social science, Aug 1, 2022
Vindmyllur eru nýr orkukostur hér á landi. Landsvirkjun hefur nú til skoðunar að reisa um 80 vind... more Vindmyllur eru nýr orkukostur hér á landi. Landsvirkjun hefur nú til skoðunar að reisa um 80 vindmyllur með allt að 200 MW orkuvinnslu norðaustan við Búrfell í Þjórsárdal. Markmið þessarar rannsóknar er að kanna viðhorf ferðamanna til fyrirhugaðra vindmylla og til virkjunar vindorku á Íslandi. Verkefnið var unnið fyrir Landsvirkjun vegna mats á umhverfisáhrifum framkvaemdarinnar. Verkefnisstjórar eru Anna Dóra Saeþórsdóttir dósent og Rannveig Ólafsdóttir, prófessor við Háskóla Íslands. Mikill hluti sjálfrar rannsóknarvinnunnar, þar með talið gagnaöflun (dreifing spurningalista og viðtöl við ferðamenn) og úrvinnsla, hefur hvílt á herðum Guðmundar Björnssonar, MS nema í ferðamálafraeði við Háskóla Íslands og byggir MS verkefni hans á þeirri vinnu. Ítarlega umfjöllun um niðurstöðurnar má finna í skýrslunni Áhrif vindmylla í Búrfellslundi á ferðamenn (Anna Dóra Saeþórsdóttir, Guðmundur Björnsson og Rannveig Ólafsdóttir, 2015).
Mountain Research and Development
BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access t... more BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.
Tourism and Hospitality
Natural areas are often of particular importance for residents as venues for recreation and domes... more Natural areas are often of particular importance for residents as venues for recreation and domestic tourism. However, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, overtourism was a major challenge for many nature-based tourism destinations worldwide, and led to a perceived restriction of tourism opportunities for residents. Iceland, one of the countries most associated with the concept of overtourism, witnessed a rapid reduction in international tourist arrivals after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, domestic tourism was unrestricted and, in fact, actively encouraged. Iceland in the summer of 2020 thus presents an interesting case for studying the experience of domestic tourists at previously overcrowded nature destinations. The study took place in Landmannalaugar, a nature destination known for crowding prior to the pandemic, and is based on 33 semi-structured interviews. Its results reveal that Icelandic residents perceived the break from overtourism as a benefit of t...
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Papers by Anna Sæþórsdóttir