Unique national park to open in Iceland
28 April 2008The largest protected wilderness in Europe, Vatnajokull national park, will open in Iceland on June 7th.
Covering an area of 13,000 square kilometres, the park will incorporate the existing Skaftafell and Jokulsargljufur national parks and encompass 13 per cent of the total landmass of Iceland.
The protected area will include volcanoes, lava flows, glaciers, canyons, sand flats, rivers, lakes and the most powerful waterfall in Europe, Dettifoss.
Some 1.15 billion kronur (£7.9 million) is being invested by the Icelandic government to provide a network of visitor centres and park ranger stations, which should be operational by 2012.
Estimates suggest that Vatnajokull could boost Iceland's tourism industry by between five and seven per cent, or between 30,000 and 42,000 visitors per year, by 2012.
Olof Yrr Atladottir, director general of the Icelandic Tourist Board, said: "Visitors are a vital part of Iceland's rural economy and contribute positively to the protection and sustainability of our magnificent landscape.
"Personally, I see a myriad of possibilities for all sorts of activities opening up such as action tours, eco-recreation, study visits and learning experiences as well as the chance to experience the nurturing silence of Iceland's highlands."