Managing popularity: Changes in tourist attitudes in a wilderness destination

• Attitude of tourists in Icelandic wilderness in the year 2000 and 2009 is compared
• In 2000 20% of the visitors experienced too many tourists but 33% in 2009.
• The proportion of purists declined from 29% in 2000 to 20% in 2009.
• The area now appeals to visitors with less puristic attitudes than before.

Tourism in Iceland has expanded rapidly in recent decades. Nature is the main attraction and more than one third of tourists visit the Central Highlands, the uninhabited interior of Iceland. This fast growth raises concerns regarding the difficulties of maintaining the qualities of the resource. This study focuses on the attitude of tourists to Landmannalaugar, the most popular tourist destination in the Highlands, whether it has changed in a decade, and how tourism in the area should be managed for a sustainable future. Completed questionnaires were received from 546 guests in the year 2000 and 1105 in 2009. The main conclusion is that in 2000 20% of the visitors experienced that there were too many tourists in the area, but in 2009 this had increased to one third. The area now appeals to visitors with less nature oriented attitudes than before as the proportion of visitors who prefer solitude and are looking for more authentic experiences in nature has declined from 29% in 2000 to 20% in 2009.