Iceland's dramatic landscape and cameos in popular shows like “Game of Thrones” have made the country a hotspot for international travelers, leading its government to consider raising its taxes on tourists.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Iceland's Tourism Minister Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir said the ministry is looking into several options for increasing tourism fees, which could include raising the current hotel levy or requiring bus and tour companies to obtain special licenses for operating.
“This sector and all of us have to be careful not to become victims to our own success,” Gylfadottir said in the interview.
While raising fees would be one way to address a growing number of tourists, another alternative could be to limit tourists' access to popular sights to maintain their appeal and limit the effects of overcrowding, Travel and Leisure reported.
The country's tourism board expects to have two million annual tourists by 2020, compared to just 459,000 in 2010.
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