Iceland’s Glaciers Are Shrinking: What's the Risk to Tourism?

Glaciers have melted at the most rapid rate on record in five of the past six years, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said in a recent report.

In all, glaciers have lost more than 9,000 billion tons of ice since 1975, the WMO said, equivalent to a 25 meter thick block of ice the size of Germany. Higher global temperatures means that all of the world’s 19 glacier regions are at risk.

It’s a direct threat to destinations that rely on glaciers as attractions for tourism, most notably Iceland.

Glaciers and the northern lights are the top two reasons visitors come to Iceland, the Icelandic Tourism Research Centre told Skift in an interview.

In 2024, roughly 2.3 million international visitors arrived in this small country of around 390,000 people.

On most days across the year, guided tours wind their way across the glaciers. Skiing, hiking, and ice cave tours contribute to the local tourism economy while also raising awareness about climate change.

According to the University of Zurich, Iceland has lost 750 square kilometres of its glaciers since 2000, an area larger than four times the size of Washington D.C. Scientists predict that Iceland could lose up to 35% of its glacial mass within half a century.

Haukur Einarsson, founder of Glacier Adventure in Iceland, knows the reality of glacier melt all too well. Over the years, he’s built a base camp, hotel, restaurant, guesthouses, and a glacier museum.

“I have seen dramatic changes since I started working here. I can stand with a group and just point out where the glacier used to be,” he told Skift. “I can explain to tourists how 10 years ago there was a beautiful ice cave there. Then I point and there's two and a half to three kilometers further of empty land. The glacier has melted that much in 10 years.”

Einarsson’s wife grew up near Vatnajökull, and her father was born in the area in 1915.

“When he was a young man, where we park cars today, the ice was 350 meters thicker than it is now. They used to stare up at a wall of ice like a cliff. People can’t believe that he once walked straight onto the glacier from there.”

Now, Einarsson believes his glacier business won’t last more than another 10 to 15 years.

“I would be surprised if it lasts beyond that,” he said. “But I’m more worried about the ecosystem that will be left behind.”

Snorri Valsson of Iceland’s tourism board, Ferdamalastofa, said an entire economy has built up around glaciers in Iceland.

“In the southeast, in particular, there’s a whole hub - restaurants, hotels, tour operators, bus tours, snowmobiling, climbing, hiking,” he said. “There is very little we can do locally except put pressure on the government and the international politicians to do something about climate change. Glacier businesses should be able to continue for the next two decades but things might look completely different after that.”

The dangers of glacier tourism became painfully clear in 2024. A group of 23 tourists visited an ice cave during warm weather. An ice wall collapsed, killing an American tourist and injuring his pregnant fiancée.

Aegir Thor Eysteinsson, a spokesperson from Iceland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs, told Skift that the government is seeking ways to improve safety as the dangers increase.

"We are working closely with the glacier tourism businesses as we seek to implement new regulations following the tragic incident," the spokesperson said. "These rules include daily risk assessments and new operational guidelines requiring mandatory thorough evaluations of ice conditions by tour operators before each tour and a prohibition on entering certain areas."

In France, Italy, and Switzerland, places like Lake Annecy, Lake Como, and Lake Garda were once glaciers. Today, they are major tourist destinations, supporting regional economies.

Lake Annecy alone attracts around 1.4 million visitors a year.

“Glacial landscapes are fascinating,” Valsson said. “Even as the ice recedes, the landscape remains unique. You can watch vegetation slowly reclaim the land. I think we can sustain tourism even after the glaciers are gone.”

But, he said, the government and tourism industry have focused on mass tourism rather than quality experiences.

“In the future, we’ll need to shift toward quality tourism over mass tourism,” he said. “If you consider future costs, the burden future generations will carry, we’re sacrificing much less now than they will have to,” Valsson from the Iceland tourism board said. “The real question is, is it fair for us to use up all the resources now and leave nothing for the future? That’s the discussion we need to be having.”

Glaciers have been receding in Iceland for centuries, but scientists and glaciologists have linked the rapid decline of recent years to climate change. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hit its highest level in 800,000 years in 2024, according to UN research.

Traveling to see glaciers often means long flights and high emissions, ironically contributing to the very climate crisis melting them away.

Einarsson of Glacier Adventure is well aware of it and tries to educate visitors about their impact. “Personally, I’d be happy if we just stopped traveling until we figure out a more sustainable way to do it,” he said.

Eysteinsson said Iceland's government had been working to make the tourism industry sustainable.

"Iceland welcomes all visitors to our island, and it has always been a priority to ensure their visits, and our tourism industry remains as sustainable as possible," he said. "We've also seen success through our emphasis on seasonality within the Icelandic tourism industry. Since adding a regional focus to our approach in 2015, we have been able to manage the spread of visits both across the year and throughout Iceland."

Eysteinsson added that Iceland developed an action plan to adapt to climate change, which says that the “diminished volume of glaciers” is a key climate hazard.

"A part of the ongoing work is a climate risk assessment, both for Iceland as a whole as well as a climate risk assessment for different sectors," Eysteinsson said. "As part of our continued progress, the Icelandic Parliament approved the renewal of the Tourism Policy and Action Plan to 2030 in June 2024. Focus areas of the tourism policy include achieving greater balance and integration across the economy, society, the environment, and visitors."