Minister of Industry and Travel Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir’s nature pass bill has been approved by the government and it will be presented in more detail in the coming days. The Icelandic Travel Industry Association (SAF) opposes the bill and proposes a tax on accommodation nights instead, which is also debated.
While SAF criticizes the execution of the nature pass for being too complicated, others have criticized that not only foreign tourists but also Icelanders have to pay ISK 1,500 (USD 12, EUR 10) for traveling the country, ruv.is reports.
Chair of the Left-Green Movement Katrín Jakobsdóttir wrote in Fréttablaðið today that while the Independence Party, of which Ragnheiður is member, promotes freedom, it limits the freedom of Icelanders to travel their country with the nature pass.
The idea is that every traveler in Iceland buy a nature pass and that the money will be used for improving the conditions at destinations and nature protection.
