Iceland offers lessons on dealing with massive tourism growth

An Icelandic tourism researcher is on P.E.I. this week to share that Island nation's perspective on dealing with huge growth in the tourism industry.

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P.E.I. has had three record tourism years in a row, with a growth of 10.2 per cent in overnight stays last year, but growth on P.E.I. pales in comparison to Iceland, where growth has been tracking around 30 per cent per year.

"The example of the state Iceland is in right now can be kind of a lesson for other destinations to think a little bit ahead, be more proactive," said Gudrun Thora Gunnarsdottir, director of the Icelandic Research Centre

"We were not prepared in Iceland for this. Nobody was prepared for this there was nothing, there was nothing on the horizon that indicated that we would have this kind of a growth."

The Institute of Island Studies at UPEI has invited Gunnarsdottir to speak in the hopes to P.E.I. can learn some valuable insights.

Gunnarsdottir will be speaking at a symposium tonight at UPEI, hosted by the Institute of Island Studies.

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