For us this a question of life and death, so there is no scope for mistakes. Another major issue is the fight against marine pollution, which Iceland has championed in international cooperation involving the oceans. In this respect I am pleased to note the new global convention on persistent organic pollutants, which will be signed by governments in Sweden next month. The Icelandic Government initated this issue nine years ago and encouraged other countries to rally round and start the negotiations for the convention. In recent years there has been a large increase in the number of travellers to Iceland.
Tourism is a rapidly growing industry and one of the mainstays of the economy.
The main reason is Iceland's highly distinctive and dramatic nature. Obviously we are pleased that the rest of the world is taking a greater interest in us, but we are determined not to achieve too rapid growth in the number of tourists, since we need time to prepare our country's sensitive nature for increasing encroachment by man. Wherever we look, Icelanders are therefore continually reminded of the importance of living in harmony with nature. This does not prevent us from accepting nature's gifts and utilizing our land and its resources as we need. Far from it.