Tourists’ Attitudes toward Power Plants and Infrastructure near Kárahnjúkar

In the summer of 2025, ITRC conducted a survey on tourists’ attitudes toward power plants and other infrastructure within the operational area of the Fljótsdalur Hydropower Station in East Iceland. The aim of the survey was to shed light on tourists’ experiences of the area and to assess the impact of infrastructure on those experiences. The project is a continuation of a comparable survey carried out in the Blanda and Þjórsá areas in the summer of 2024.

The results of the survey, which was conducted by the Kárahnjúkar Dam, showed that the majority of visitors came to experience nature and uninhabited wilderness areas and that overall perceptions of the area were very positive. Infrastructure in the area generally did not have a negative effect on the tourist experience; on the contrary, the dam and the power plant itself were an important part of that experience.

A report presenting the results of the survey is available here on ITRC's website (in Icelandic).

The report also includes a comparison with previous RMF studies conducted in the Blanda, Þjórsá and Þeistareykir areas. This comparison shows that tourists’ experiences of hydropower areas are diverse and shaped by local conditions, landscape, and context.

The study was carried out for Landsvirkjun. Data collection was managed by Vatnajökull National Park and the study was led on behalf of RMF by Eyrún Jenný Bjarnadóttir.