According to Butler's Tourism Area Cycle a concern for Iceland could be falling into the 'Stagnation' phase of the cycle. This occurs when the area is no longer fashionable, the peak number of visitors are hit, there are low occupancy rates and any positive image of the resort have decreased significantly (Getz, 1992). To prevent this from happening, Iceland has to appeal to new markets and keep its infrastructure updated.
The limited transport there makes it difficult to get to attractions on your own and with our coach driver not allowing us much time at each attraction, this was a problem. Possibly introducing a railway station would allow travellers who prefer to be in charge of their own time and where they go, to plan their own visit. A problem with this is that it could increase the amount of tourists in an attraction at one time and Iceland's current system with tour operators ensures better control of capacity.
Falling into stagnation is not a current concern for Iceland as the slow down in numbers is allowing the country to be more sustainable. The director of the tourist board stated that this growth in tourism could not continue and plans would progress to promote regions in the east and north of Iceland to steer away from creating crowds in Reykjavik (Morris, 2019). The proposal of building airports in these areas of Iceland could start the tourist life cycle all over in these areas and allows Reykjavik to recover and re-grow. There is a lot of Iceland yet to be explored with spectacular attractions and scenery so if Reykjavik hits stagnation or needs a break, these are next to be marketed.
With the uniqueness of the environment in Iceland, it will always be an appealing destination to visit. Due to the nature element of the country, it is possible a volcano could erupt again at any time so the future of Iceland is very unsure.
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