Take The Icelandic Pledge

Iceland has launched a new initiative to positively affect visitor behaviour and promote a happy and meaningful travel experience by introducing a first-of-a-kind pledge for visitors.

‘The Icelandic Pledge’ is an online agreement that invites travellers to sign up to be a responsible tourist when visiting the country this summer.

The eight-point pledge encourages tourists to experience Iceland the way that Icelanders do by agreeing to a set of guidelines.

These include directives such as:

• When exploring new places leave them as they are.
• Take photos ‘without dying for them.
• Never venture off-road – a direct call response to the total ban on off-road driving in Iceland.
• Adhere to allocated campsites when sleeping under the stars.
• Be prepared for all weathers, all possibilities and all adventures.

Tourism Minister Þórdís Kolbrún R. Gylfadóttir unveiled The Icelandic Pledge in Borgarnes, in West Iceland, telling her audience:

“The type of people who come to Iceland want to be responsible tourists, it’s just that they aren’t always aware of what that entails. So as part of our welcome we wanted to create a pledge which we’ll encourage all visitors to take, creating an army of people who know how to stay safe and also how to look after our delicate nature.”

Visitors can take The Icelandic Pledge at http://www.inspiredbyiceland.com where they will receive a special shareable digital badge to demonstrate their support on social media.

People can also show their support by using the hashtag #IcelandicPledge.