Cultural tourism in Iceland
I just finished writing a chapter of my dissertation, which resulted in a much larger discussion of cultural tourism in Iceland than I had intended.
But the fact is, this is an issue I have been extremely interested and concerned about for at least 15 years, if not 20. I have never, ever liked the way Iceland is marketed to tourists in the U.S. Everything from the unspoiled nature to the crazy city life in Reykavik. It has always left the part of Iceland I loved--the simple joy of being in a relaxing and lovely place with my family--completely out of the picture.
In 2001, I went to Hvollsvöllur to examine the Saga Centre as part of a study commissioned by the National Park's service to look into cultural landscapes as heritage tourism. I thought that endeavor might represent a change in how Iceland was presented to tourists. But in the last 10 years, and especially while working at Vikingaheimar, and at meetings with the Saga Trails Association, I came to see just how completely the marketing mechanism of Iceland Excursion and Icelandair work against genuine cultural tourism in Iceland.
It is an absolute shame in my opinion that the cultural ministry of Iceland has not done much much much more to amend this situation. They seem perfectly content to let the foreign perception of Iceland be radically off kilter. It is as if they have never read any of the anthropological literature that demonstrates how detrimental such a disjuncture can be for the local population. Because what foreigners think of Iceland comes to influence what Icelanders think of themselves.
Last September I was at a conference in Reykjavík where a small group of professionals, including myself, talked about the use of the term "Viking" in Icelandic history, tourism, and archaeology. The audience was primarily workers in the cultural tourism industry in Iceland, and the discussion at the end was almost heartbreaking. The people running the centers out in the countryside that the intellectuals in Reykjavík find so unacceptable were literally begging for cooperation, for shared knowledge, for discussion, for--simply put--help. If anyone is looking for a project to do, something that would actually make a difference, there you go.
But instead the Penis Museum gets all the attention, and everything else gets ignored.
But the fact is, this is an issue I have been extremely interested and concerned about for at least 15 years, if not 20. I have never, ever liked the way Iceland is marketed to tourists in the U.S. Everything from the unspoiled nature to the crazy city life in Reykavik. It has always left the part of Iceland I loved--the simple joy of being in a relaxing and lovely place with my family--completely out of the picture.
In 2001, I went to Hvollsvöllur to examine the Saga Centre as part of a study commissioned by the National Park's service to look into cultural landscapes as heritage tourism. I thought that endeavor might represent a change in how Iceland was presented to tourists. But in the last 10 years, and especially while working at Vikingaheimar, and at meetings with the Saga Trails Association, I came to see just how completely the marketing mechanism of Iceland Excursion and Icelandair work against genuine cultural tourism in Iceland.
It is an absolute shame in my opinion that the cultural ministry of Iceland has not done much much much more to amend this situation. They seem perfectly content to let the foreign perception of Iceland be radically off kilter. It is as if they have never read any of the anthropological literature that demonstrates how detrimental such a disjuncture can be for the local population. Because what foreigners think of Iceland comes to influence what Icelanders think of themselves.
Last September I was at a conference in Reykjavík where a small group of professionals, including myself, talked about the use of the term "Viking" in Icelandic history, tourism, and archaeology. The audience was primarily workers in the cultural tourism industry in Iceland, and the discussion at the end was almost heartbreaking. The people running the centers out in the countryside that the intellectuals in Reykjavík find so unacceptable were literally begging for cooperation, for shared knowledge, for discussion, for--simply put--help. If anyone is looking for a project to do, something that would actually make a difference, there you go.
But instead the Penis Museum gets all the attention, and everything else gets ignored.
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Þetta er nebblega alveg rétt séð hjá þér.
beztu kveðjur
kveðja
Páll Ásgeir Ásgeirsson
My point was not that there are not good and worthy efforts taking place all over Iceland, but that none of them get the sort of support they deserve as institutions honoring Iceland's rich history, folklore, and culture. Instead they are judged as businesses, with a focus on how well they make money. In the U.S., museums and cultural centers have a much different purpose, and are almost always publicly supported at either the city, county, state, or federal level.