Iceland has one of Europe's hottest tourist destinations, a magnet for people admiring barren Nordic nature with alien-looking landscapes of frozen lava. However, while filling Iceland's state coffers, this influx has invited previously unbeknown hygienic problems, such as outdoor defecation.
Recently, a resident of the small Icelandic village of Vogar á Vatnsleysuströnd outside Reykjavik decided to take the matter into his own hands (quite literally) by punishing an impudent pooper by smearing the windshield of his car with the other man's excrement, the local news outlet DV reported, confirming that the car was a rental.
The reactions to the post were mostly encouraging. "Well done," one member wrote. "Rub it in the person's face. The town should also maintain a supply of tar and feathers for such visitors," another one wrote.
This sign had to be put up. Interesting story behind that. #Iceland pic.twitter.com/OF1wP83g22
— Jóhannes Haukur (@johanneshaukur) 24 июля 2016 г.
In recent months, Iceland seems to be overrun by uncivilized tourists relieving themselves in Icelandic nature. In July, locals in Egilstaðir were enraged by tourists doing their business by a kindergarten's playground, obviously to save some money for camping facilities.
"I have totally had it and doing this by a kindergarten is disgusting!" local teacher Fanney Ósk Ríkharðsdóttir said, as quoted by the Reykjavik Grapevine.
In June, a local filmed a tourist doing the deed near the busiest highway of the island nation of 334 thousand people, which runs between Reykjavik and Keflavik.
"I filmed this by accident. Just few seconds after I started filming, he pulled down his pants and took care of business. Without any hesitation," Ármann Óskarsson was quoted as saying by the Reykjavik Grapevine.
Meanwhile, the economic significance of tourism in Iceland has grown in the past years. As of 2016, the tourism industry is estimated to contribute about 10 percent to the island nation's GDP and is responsible for nearly 30 percent of its export revenue. By the end of 2017, Iceland is expected to receive over two million visitors, with Americans, Britons and Germans being the most frequent guests.
In recent months, however, a surge in tourists from China has been reported as a direct result of Chinese viewers' interest in the TV show Game of Thrones being filmed there, among other places.
