It’s no secret that Iceland has been experiencing something of a tourism boom in recent years.The stunning country, known for its glaciers, has seen the number of visitors skyrocket since 2010. The island—roughly the size of Alabama—is home to about 330,000 people. Yet in 2016, 1.8 million people visited Iceland. By 2017, the number of arrivals had risen to about 2.2 million—a 24.2 percent increase over the prior year. MORE Destination & Tourism And while many in the country are thrilled with the revenue that has accompanied the flood of visitors, which in some cases has breathed new life into once dwindling villages and communities, there’s also a price to be paid for the influx.A local politician complaining about the number of tourists compared the island country to Disneyland. And with all of its benefits, the flood of tourism has also brought with it drastically increased local prices.Tour operator Hidden Iceland, based in Reykjavík, recently shared its thoughts with TravelPulse about how the growth is impacting the country and what might be done to create a manageable path forward while also giving visitors more meaningful exposure to all that Iceland has to offer.“Tourism has grown rapidly in Iceland and new buildings, new hotels, new tourist centers, new museums and new companies are popping up everywhere to cater for this new demand,” begins Ryan Connolly, co-founder of Hidden Iceland. “The issue, however, is that virtually everyone entering the country flies to Reykjavik, often on short trips. This means they’re limited to what they can do and how far they can go.”Among the most popular tourist haunts are Iceland’s Golden Circle and the South Coast of the country, places that are easy to reach when time is limited, Connolly explained. As a result, these places have become largely overrun.It’s up to tour operators like Hidden Iceland, Connolly stressed, to try and lure visitors beyond the city and to the many other stunning sights that Iceland has to offer, places that may take a little longer to reach but are equally, if not more, rewarding.“It’s important to try and bring visitors to places that are further afield, such as the Western Fjord, drawing the influx away from the busy city to the little villages, places where people were once moving away because there wasn’t enough work in those little villages,” said Connolly.By taking visitors to these off the beaten path stops, (as Hidden Iceland regularly seeks to do) tourism can have a truly positive effect for the locals in Iceland.“There is a guest house on a farm further east that most people wouldn’t necessarily get to unless they want to go way off the beaten path. The owners of this guest house now make more money from their guest house than from their farm,” Connolly explained. “And the younger generation of the family no longer lives in Reykjavik, they have moved back and now have a decent standard of living.”The younger generation that's now deciding to stay in their small hometowns are finding work as tour guides and nature guides, and are suddenly celebrating all of the natural beauty they experienced growing up. There is a newfound realization that their hometowns are something to behold, Connolly explained.He also expressed criticism of the “big bus” tours that are being seen at many of Iceland’s popular tourist stops, suggesting those who wish to visit in a sustainable manner do a little more research and find companies that allow them to travel differently.The specific scenario Connolly is referring to often involves a bus pulling up to a well-known attraction, opening the door and sending hordes of people out on their own, simply telling them to be back at a certain time.“There’s no group control meaning many of the areas can be affected far more than necessary,” said Connolly.A more thoughtful approach involves visiting such places via small tours with experienced guides who have the knowledge and experience to help minimize the impact of your presence.“With the right guide, and small groups, and a policy to protect the environment you really can still experience Iceland in an immersive and authentic way,” Connolly continued.Hidden Iceland has developed tours specifically to help visitors go beyond the typical tourist haunts, thus often avoiding and reducing the crowds and in the process bringing some of the benefits of tourism to other, lesser known parts of the country.For instance, its Westman Islands itinerary allows visitors to experience a volcanic Island where the locals quite literally fought against the flow of lava in 1974 to protect their town from destruction. The community was saved just in time and the island is not only a charming place to visit, there are never crowds thanks to the fact that there’s only one boat that travels to the island and it has limited space.The company also offers a Four-Day West Fjords tour, taking visitors to the remote northwestern parts of the country where the population has halved in the last 20 years. The roads are only passable with a 4x4 in some places and it takes the better part of a day to even reach the glacier-scarred fjords. Visitors on this trip experience moments without a single car or tourist for miles, which is something to behold, especially when those moments sometimes include sharing the view with puffins, whales, Arctic Foxes, and seals.Hidden Iceland's Two-Day Jokulsarlon & Glacier Hike, however, is the company's favorite offering and it's a trip that's great for first-timers who only have a few days in the country. The itinerary includes traveling across Iceland's popular south coast stopping at the country's most famed places such as the Skogafoss waterfall and black sand beach. But it also makes a point to go that little bit further and sleep overnight in a local farm guest house overlooking three empty glaciers. The glaciers visited in this area require more time to access and the guides are specifically trained to minimize the number of people visiting the same places.The primary takeaway Hidden Iceland would like readers to have is that there are 400 glaciers in Iceland and numerous other resources and natural wonders for visitors to experience. It is possible to have a sustainable tourism economy in the country, but doing so requires venturing beyond the big city and the usual attractions."In the last few years, I’ve noticed that although tourism numbers have grown drastically the majority of companies still send the masses to the exact same places, and often at the same times. And yet untouched landscapes like my hometown in the West Fjords still go unnoticed," said Hidden Iceland co-founder Dagny Stefansdottir. "Considering that the primary attraction and the forefront of Iceland's travel industry is the nature itself, it is of the utmost importance to respect and protect it,"It’s a responsibility that both tourists and tour operators need to share.