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Home to hot springs and volcanos, Iceland has wanted to lure tourists with its stunning natural attractions. This set off a meteoric rise in visitor numbers, soaring from less than 500,000<\/a> in 2010 to an expected 2.3 million<\/a> this year. While that\u2019s created a cash cow for Iceland\u2019s tourism industry, it\u2019s also created fresh housing troubles for those who call the country home.\u00a0<\/p>\n But the country has had enough. It now wants to clamp down on \u201covertourism\u201d with taxes and higher fees to check tourist numbers while not harming a lucrative sector of its economy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are trying still to mold the taxation system for the tourism sector for the future,\u201d Icelandic Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson told CNBC<\/em><\/a> on Monday.\u00a0<\/p>\n A possible new measure would be similar to surge pricing, wherein a higher tax would be charged during peak travel than at other times of the year\u2014although this is still in the works, Benediktsson added. He also said a \u201csustainability balance check\u201d was considered to look after Iceland\u2019s nature and local communities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Iceland reintroduced a tourist tax that it scrapped during the COVID-19 pandemic. The modest fee\u2014around 600 Icelandic krona ($4.34)\u2014applies to hotels, campsites, cruise ships, and other forms of accommodation. While Benediktsson sees the measure as an \u201cimportant decision,\u201d he also thinks more must be done.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe would like to lean more towards a system where the user pays. As I see it, we would want to go more toward accession fees to the magnets, as we call them, around the country,\u201d the prime minister said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tourism is important to the Icelandic economy as it derives 8.5% of its GDP from the sector, according to data from Statistics Iceland<\/a>. From Game of Thrones<\/em> fans to Blue Lagoon enthusiasts, Iceland has piqued the interest of many. The number of visitors has increased in the last few years despite interruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic and volcanic eruptions<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the same time, locals have wrestled with finding homes to rent as more are swept into short-term rentals for visitors. Prices have also increased with higher interest rates<\/a>, often pricing tenants out.\u00a0<\/p>\n Iceland isn\u2019t alone in resisting overtourism\u2014Venice recently imposed a $5 short-term visitor fee that could help curb footfall in a city that\u2019s famously swamped with tourists for much of the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n Given the interest in the historic Italian city, Venice collected \u20ac37 million ($39.6 million) from tourist taxes last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n On the other hand, Spain has included a new fee that reflects on hotel bills, contributing towards a fund<\/a> for heat pumps and solar panels at schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSo far we have spent these taxes on compensating the impact tourists have on the city, including cleaning services, safety and public transport,\u201d Jordi Valls, Barcelona\u2019s head of economic and tourism promotion, told Bloomberg in February. \u201cThis year we\u2019ve decided to go a step further and spend the tax on financing public services from a climate point of view.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear if these charges will turn enough visitors away to solve the issue of overtourism and its consequences. In Venice, for instance, the new charge hasn\u2019t depressed visitor numbers just yet. Locals have also protested against the tourist tax policy, arguing it might not have as much of an impact.\u00a0<\/p>\n With the pandemic in the rear-view mirror, thousands of more tourists are expected yearly in Iceland. The country has the tall task of finding policies that balance encouraging tourists to still come to the city while limiting their numbers and prioritizing the locals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nSubscribe to The Broadsheet newsletter to stay updated on the world’s most powerful women in business. Sign up<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n