Iceland welcomed over two million international tourists in a single year, which is absolutely wild considering the entire permanent population of the country is barely over three hundred and seventy thousand people.

A closer look

Iceland welcomed over two million international tourists in a single year, which is absolutely wild considering the entire permanent population of the country is barely over three hundred and seventy thousand people. The sudden explosion of visitors wanting to look at waterfalls and soak in geothermal puddles meant that tourists outnumbered actual Icelandic citizens by a ratio of roughly six to one. This resulted in extreme ecological strain, overwhelmed infrastructure, and locals likely wondering if they accidentally became cast members in a giant nature-themed amusement park. It really warms the heart to know that global wanderlust is powerful enough to completely overrun a quiet, remote island nation just because a few social media influencers posted highly edited photos of some mossy rocks and a dormant volcano!