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Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

bbc.com

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Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#111

Post by whatshisface »

Mediterraneo10 wrote: post #86
jsonne wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

8 of the 10 most polluted rivers in the world are in East Asia. Of the top polluted cities in the world 8 of 10 are in Asia. Your analysis falls apart with even a cursory search.

The grandparent is probably pointing to Singapore. That is a state that is infamous for being extremely clean and tidy. At the same time, it is highly consumerist, with so much of its traditional community infrastructure demolished and replaced with shopping malls.

Don't the massive government penalties for littering have something to do with it? It turns out that, yes, after all, laws and punishment do act as a deterrent.

Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#112

Post by tomxor »

ixtli wrote: post #46
tonyedgecombe wrote: post #33

“The relatively new trouble with mass society is perhaps even more serious, but not because of the masses themselves, but because this society is essentially a consumers’ society where leisure time is used no longer for self-perfection or acquisition of more social status, but for more and more consumption and more and more entertainment… To believe that such a society will become more “cultured” as time goes on and…

I find that the root issue is individualism. There are immaculately clean cities in east asia whos parent societies would definitely qualify as highly "consumerist." It's not consumption that's the problem but the parameters within which that consumption is allowed to proceed. As well, in individualist societies we seem far more comfortable to discard our trash wherever and just forget about it. A more collectivist a…

I think you're both wrong. Since the dawn of civilization there has and always will be people disrespectful of nature. Your proposed causes are merely localised perturbations.

I think the _recent_ issue is in the title, and it's global, it's social networking. I can't think of any other force in the world that pushes huge numbers of people who have basically no interest or respect for nature, to go out into it, not learn anything, not gain any respect, and then destroy it... Selfies are a natural resource for social networking, and the natural world is full of them, ripe for exploitation.

Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#113

Post by thebooktocome »

ixtli wrote: post #41

I hate to sound cynical but the reason it seems like everyone knows someone who's gone to Iceland in the past 5 years is because the government has been heavily subsidizing flights and hotels to this exact end. There really was no other outcome :( Also the government only needs to levy a 1000 USD fine on a few people in order to stop a lot of this because the American press will seize on it immediately.

Icelandic speeding tickets can quickly escalate to the equivalent of tens of thousands USD, and their speed limits seem really low, especially the main ring road. However, you really don't hear many stories in the American press about ignorant tourists getting raked by Icelandic speeding laws.

Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#114

Post by asnack »

5040 wrote: post #51

There may come a time where tourists are tagged with GPS trackers. Those who go off the beaten path could face fines.

Maybe a GPS tracker attached around the neck and it zaps you if you go off course.

That might lead to weird rise in BDSM tourism to your area

Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#115

Post by rhino369 »

ixtli wrote: post #46
tonyedgecombe wrote: post #33

“The relatively new trouble with mass society is perhaps even more serious, but not because of the masses themselves, but because this society is essentially a consumers’ society where leisure time is used no longer for self-perfection or acquisition of more social status, but for more and more consumption and more and more entertainment… To believe that such a society will become more “cultured” as time goes on and…

I find that the root issue is individualism. There are immaculately clean cities in east asia whos parent societies would definitely qualify as highly "consumerist." It's not consumption that's the problem but the parameters within which that consumption is allowed to proceed. As well, in individualist societies we seem far more comfortable to discard our trash wherever and just forget about it. A more collectivist a…

Chinese tourists are considered some of the most rude and dirty, and China is a collectivist society.

I think it’s just a problem with tourism.

Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#116

Post by CaptainZapp »

rando444 wrote: post #65
CaptainZapp wrote: post #11

Easy: Hand every tourist a brochure about the Do's and Dont's. Aka, like Singapore prints warnings (DEATH TO DRUG TRAFFICKERS) on their landing cards. If laws and rules are disrespected fine the sweet bejeezus out of those assholes (like in the thousands of $ range) and ban them from the country (or ideally, from the Schengen room) for 5 to 10 years. The problem will solve itself in short time.

We have something like that, which you find in the airport and various places. https://www.inspiredbyiceland.com/icelandicpledge/ The people that need to read it the most though, either don't or don't care.

This should just be common sense to every traveller anywhere.

It's really a sad reflection of where we stand that this does not seem to be the case.

Thanks for the link.

Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#117

Post by 52-6F-62 »

mothsonasloth wrote: post #104

[Warning ascerbic and anecdotal story below] Iceland was the goto choice for my colleagues at a startup in London. A few days before they typically went and forked out top dollar for premium outdoor gear (Rab / Fjallraven) and discussed their plans to mount Kirkjufell. Iceland is the mecca for many hipsters at least for the UK. I put it down to Sigur Ros, Game of Thrones and that its still not a very touristy place.…

I can assure you that it's also a destination for hipsters in Canada, if not much of North America.

I've long wanted to go, myself—but it's a touch out of range. It's expensive enough to plan a trip to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, or the Yukon (from Toronto)!

Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#118

Post by jacquesm »

chronial wrote: post #110
lm28469 wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a difference between individual pollution and state level pollution though. Germany may pollute the air/rivers less than China but come to Berlin; in some neighbourhoods you might think you teleported to a third world country where trash are simply threw in the streets to rot for weeks if not months before the public services finally do something.

Come to Munich and you will find no such thing. I don't think single examples can prove a point here.

The point these examples definitely prove is that within a single country it is possible to find extremes running both ways and that apparently city governments have a lot of impact on the appearance of the cities.

Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#119

Post by paulsutter »

rhino369 wrote: post #115
ixtli wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find that the root issue is individualism. There are immaculately clean cities in east asia whos parent societies would definitely qualify as highly "consumerist." It's not consumption that's the problem but the parameters within which that consumption is allowed to proceed. As well, in individualist societies we seem far more comfortable to discard our trash wherever and just forget about it. A more collectivist a…

Chinese tourists are considered some of the most rude and dirty, and China is a collectivist society. I think it’s just a problem with tourism.

“are considered”?

This is a ridiculous stereotype. I’ve seen Chinese travelers around the world and they’re as sophisticated as anyone

Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#120

Post by jacquesm »

seattle_spring wrote: post #75
ixtli wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you explain why this seems so to you? Totally not my experience with visiting national parks in Korea and Japan. For one thing, much of Japans un-developed nature is such because its largely as impassable now as it was in the 1600s when Basho wrote Ooku no hosomichi. I dunno why you'd bother paving anything. EDIT: It's also certainly not just westerners, but again, my experience has shown me that there are societ…

Never been to Korea or Japan, but I spent several months exploring the parks of China. I never want to go back.

You really should not extrapolate to a whole continent from such a small sample.
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