Accessibility to natural tourist attractions in Iceland to be improved

According to Fréttablaðið, accessibility to some of Iceland’s natural tourist attractions is to be improved as part of a new plan set out by Thórdís Gylfadóttir, Minister of Tourism, and Guðmundur Guðbrandsson, Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources.

As part of the plan, roughly ISK 2.6 billion will be put into the infrastructure between 2021 and 2023 to improve accessibility, with ISK 807 million of the sum coming from the Tourist Attractions Investment Fund, and the remaining ISK 764 million being allocated from the National Plan for Infrastructure Development.

A total of seventeen projects will receive a grant of up to ISK 20 million each, with the highest grants going towards the ascent and bicycle path from Svínafell to the national park in Skaftafell, the construction of a tourist service building at Hengifoss. The final grant is going towards the site of Þrístapi, in the northwestern region of Iceland.

Other development plans include better viewing access for waterfalls Öxarárfoss and Dettifoss, construction at Sólbrekkuskógur and Glerárdalur, as well as access to Drangey, and island in the Skagafjörður fjord in northern Iceland.

Photo by: Diego Delso