Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Monday 20 May 2019
Blame it on Bieber: Iceland canyon too popular with visitors

By EGILL BJARNASON cier rivers. But unlike others,
Associated Press it is easily accessed and re-
FJADRÁRGLJÚFUR, Iceland quires less than a kilometer
(AP) — A large sign warns (0.6 mile) of trekking.
motorists that Iceland's The selfies and drone im-
Fjadrárgljúfur canyon is ages have stopped — for
closed to visitors but driv- now — but more exposure
ers keep on coming down is coming. The latest season
the narrow gravel road. A of the popular HBO drama
ranger at a roadblock has "Game of Thrones" features
to explain why no one can scenes filmed at the can-
pass: The vulnerable land- yon. The nearby Skógar
scape cannot sustain more waterfall and the Svínafells
visitors. glacier are also backdrops
Blame Justin Bieber, the in the fictional Thrones
Canadian pop star with a world of warriors and drag-
worldwide reach. ons.
Bieber's magical music Inga Palsdottir, director
video "I'll Show You" was of the national tourism
filmed at the canyon and agency Visit Iceland, said
seen by millions, creating a single film shot or a viral
overwhelming demand for photograph has often put
the once-pristine spot. For a overlooked places on the
chance to follow in Bieber's This photo taken Wednesday, May 1, 2019, shows a cliff at the Fjadr rglj fur canyon in southeastern map.
footsteps, his fans are not Iceland. Associated Press The most extreme exam-
letting a few fences, signs ple, she said, is the Douglas
or park rangers keep them Bieber has the third-largest "In Justin Bieber's defense, only if weather conditions DC-3 U.S. Navy plane that
away. Twitter account at over 105 the canyon did not, at the are dry. crashed on the black sand
Eager visitors try to million followers, after Katy time he visited, have rope Icelanders are reluctant to beach at Sólheimasandur
sweet-talk ranger Hanna Perry and Barack Obama, fences and designated fault the pop star, who en- in 1973. The seven Ameri-
Jóhannsdóttir into open- according to friendorfol- paths to show what was al- joys enormous support on cans on board all survived
ing the gate. Some offer low.com — and he has lowed and what not," Gud- the island. About 12% of but the plane wreck was
bribes. They should know in over 112 million followers on brandsson said. Iceland's entire population never removed.
advance it's not going to Instagram. Over 1 million people have — 38,000 people — attend- "Then someone decided
work. In the viral video — visited the area since the ed his two concerts in Reyk- to dance on it and now it's
"Food from people's home watched over 440 million release of the video, the javík, the capital, a year af- one of the most popular
country is the most com- times on YouTube since Environment Agency of ter the video was released. places in the country," said
mon bribery," said Jóhanns- 2015 — Bieber stomped on Iceland estimates, leav- Locals underestimated the Palsdottir.
dóttir, who recently turned mossy vegetation, dangled ing deep scars on its veg- canyon's potential as a On a foggy Wednesday
down a free trip to Dubai in his feet over a cliff and etation. After remaining major attraction because morning, ranger Jóhanns-
exchange for looking the bathed in the freezing river closed for all but five weeks it's relatively small com- dóttir observed fresh foot-
other way at trespassers. underneath the sheer walls this year, it is expected to pared to those formed by prints on the muddy path-
The Bieber-inspired influx is of the canyon. reopen again this summer the country's powerful gla- way to the Fjadrárgljúfur
one part of a larger chal- canyon, indicating that
lenge for Iceland — the someone had jumped the
North Atlantic island nation fence overnight.
may be too spectacular She predicted that more
and too popular for its own people would trespass that
good. afternoon when she left the
Last year 2.3 million tourists roadblock to give a pre-
visited Iceland, compared sentation at a community
with just 600,000 eight years center. She was right. Less
ago. The 20% annual up- than 30 minutes passed be-
tick in visitors has been out fore tourists began ignoring
of proportion with infra- the fences and signs.
structure that is needed to "We came because of Jus-
protect Iceland's volcanic tin Timberlake," said Mikhail
landscape, where soil forms Samarin, a tourist from Rus-
slowly and erodes quickly. sia, traveling with Nadia
Environment Minister Gud- Kazachenok and Elena
mundur Ingi Gudbrandsson Malteseva, who were quick
said it is "a bit too simplistic to correct the artist's last
to blame the entire situa- name to Bieber.
tion on Justin Bieber" but "It was so amazing," said
urged famous, influential Malteseva about the
visitors to consider the con- Bieber video. "After that,
sequences of their actions. we decided it was neces-
"Rash behavior by one fa- sary to visit this place."
mous person can dramati- The three took turns posing
cally impact an entire area In this photo taken Wednesday, May 1, 2019, Hanna Johannsdottir, a ranger from The Environment for a photograph, standing
if the mass follows," he told Agency of Iceland, poses for a photograph at the mouth of the Fjadrargljufur canyon. at the edge of an Icelandic
The Associated Press. Associated Press cliff.q