Economic impact of the cruise ship sector in Iceland: The locals’ perception
type: CreativeWork
description: This study examines the main factors that affect the local’s perception: economic, environmental, and social impacts of cruise ship tourism in Iceland. As the number of cruise ship arrivals has increased in recent years, especially in small coastal communities. However, questions have emerged if this sector is sustainable. Using structured, quantitative survey across Icelandic towns, this research collected 170 valid responses. Moreover, chi-squared tests, t-tests of independent samples, along with post-hoc analysis of standardized residual were applied when needed to evaluate whether residents’ attitudes differed significantly across demographic and geographic variables. Findings from the survey indicated that most residents, especially those in smaller port towns, perceive cruise tourism as economically important. In contrast to the expectations, these communities often reported more favorable or neutral attitudes toward cruise ship tourism than negative ones. There were environmental concerns, and they were frequent, but over half of the participants still believed that the economic and social benefits outweigh the environmental drawbacks. Additionally, tourism workers were more likely to hold positive views than non-tourism workers. The results suggested that cruise ship tourism retains a “social license to operate” in Iceland, but the support is based on perceived economic returns and controlled environmental impacts. These findings contribute to the ongoing discussions about managing cruise growth sustainably in Icelandic port communities.
abstract: This study examines the main factors that affect the local’s perception: economic, environmental, and social impacts of cruise ship tourism in Iceland. As the number of cruise ship arrivals has increased in recent years, especially in small coastal communities. However, questions have emerged if this sector is sustainable. Using structured, quantitative survey across Icelandic towns, this research collected 170 valid responses. Moreover, chi-squared tests, t-tests of independent samples, along with post-hoc analysis of standardized residual were applied when needed to evaluate whether residents’ attitudes differed significantly across demographic and geographic variables. Findings from the survey indicated that most residents, especially those in smaller port towns, perceive cruise tourism as economically important. In contrast to the expectations, these communities often reported more favorable or neutral attitudes toward cruise ship tourism than negative ones. There were environmental concerns, and they were frequent, but over half of the participants still believed that the economic and social benefits outweigh the environmental drawbacks. Additionally, tourism workers were more likely to hold positive views than non-tourism workers. The results suggested that cruise ship tourism retains a “social license to operate” in Iceland, but the support is based on perceived economic returns and controlled environmental impacts. These findings contribute to the ongoing discussions about managing cruise growth sustainably in Icelandic port communities.
author: Ísak Máni Þrastarson 2003-
author: Arnar Páll Pálsson 2003-
language: en
keywords: Viðskiptafræði, Hagfræði, Skemmtiferðaskip, Efnahagsmál, Umhverfisáhrif, Business administration, Economics, Cruise ship, Economic affairs, Environmental impact
date published: 2025-06-16T11:39:47Z
date modified: 2026-07-27T20:37:50Z
provider: Reykjavík University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Reykjavík University

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/1946/50706