Iceland Canyon too popular with visitors

May 19, 2019, 09:42 UTC / Update May 19, 2019, 10:22 UTC

By Associated press

FJADRÁRGLJÚFUR, Iceland – A large sign warns motorists that the Fjadrárgljúfur canyon in Iceland is closed to visitors but that motorists continue to follow the narrow gravel road. A ranger at a roadblock must explain why no one can pass: The vulnerable landscape can not support more visitors.

Blame Justin Bieber, Canada's global pop star.

The magical musical music video of Bieber's "I & # 39; ll Show You" was filmed in the canyon and seen by millions of people, creating overwhelming demand for this once-pristine place.

For the chance to follow Bieber's footsteps, his fans do not let any fences, signs or park wardens keep them away.

The impatient visitors try to gently make the guard Hanna Jóhannsdóttir speak by opening the door. Some offer bribes. They should know in advance that it will not work.

"The most widespread food in the country of origin is the most widespread corruption," said Jóhannsdóttir, who recently refused a free trip to Dubai in exchange for turning to intruders.

The influx of inspiration Bieber is part of a larger challenge for Iceland: the island nation of the North Atlantic can be too spectacular and too popular for its own good.

Last year, 2.3 million tourists visited Iceland, compared with 600,000 eight years ago. The 20% annual increase in visitors was disproportionate to the infrastructure needed to protect the Icelandic volcanic landscape, where the soil is slowly forming and eroding rapidly.

Environment Minister Gudmundur Ingi Gudbrandsson said it was "a bit too simplistic to blame Justin Bieber for the whole situation," but urged famous and influential visitors to consider the consequences of their acts.

"The reckless behavior of a famous person can have a considerable impact on an entire region if the mass follows," he told the Associated Press.

According to friendorfollow.com, Bieber has the third-largest Twitter account, with over 105 million subscribers, after Katy Perry and Barack Obama. It has more than 112 million subscribers on Instagram.

In viral video – watched more than 440 million times on YouTube since 2015 – Bieber trampled on mossy vegetation, hung his feet over a cliff and bathed in the frozen river beneath the steep walls of the canyon.

"In Justin Bieber's defense, the canyon did not have, at the time of the visit, security gates or designated trails to indicate what was allowed or not," Gudbrandsson said.

More than 1 million people have visited the area since the video broadcast, according to the Icelandic Environmental Agency, leaving deep scars on its vegetation. After being closed every week except five, it should reopen this summer only if the weather conditions are dry.

Icelanders are reluctant to blame the pop star, who enjoys tremendous support on the island. About 12% of the Icelandic population, or 38,000 people, attended his two concerts in Reykjavík, the capital, one year after the release of the video.

The local population has underestimated the potential of the canyon as a major attraction because it is relatively small compared to those formed by the country's mighty glacial rivers. But unlike others, it is easily accessible and requires less than one kilometer (0.6 mile) of trekking.

The selfie and drone images have stopped – for now – but more exposure is coming. The last season of HBO's popular Game of Thrones television series features scenes shot in the canyon. The nearby Skógar Waterfall and the Svínafells Glacier are also scenery of the fictional world of Thrones' warriors and dragons.

Inga Palsdottir, director of the Visit Iceland National Tourism Agency, said that a single film or viral photo often placed neglected places on the map.

The most extreme example, she said, is the US Navy's Douglas DC-3 plane, which crashed on the black sand beach of Sólheimasandur in 1973. The seven Americans on board all survived, but the wreckage of the plane was never removed.

"Then someone decided to dance on it and it is now one of the most popular places in the country," said Palsdottir.

On a foggy Wednesday morning, Ranger Jóhannsdóttir observed new footprints on the muddy path leading to the Fjadrárgljúfur canyon, indicating that someone had crossed the barrier overnight.

She predicted that more people would be encroaching on this afternoon when she left the roadblock to give a presentation at a community center. She was right. Less than 30 minutes passed before tourists began to ignore barriers and signs.

"We came because of Justin Timberlake," said Mikhail Samarin, a Russian tourist, traveling with Nadia Kazachenok and Elena Malteseva, who have been quick to correct the name of the artist in Bieber.

"It was so amazing," Malteseva said of Bieber's video. "After that, we decided that it was necessary to visit this place."

The three men took turns taking a picture, standing on the edge of an Icelandic cliff.