‘Culture Was a Loss Leader’: Icelandic Paper Jokes That Tourism Killed the Need for Björk

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The Reykjavík Grapevine, Iceland’s largest English-language newspaper, has dropped a satirical bombshell: Icelandic culture—from the medieval sagas to Björk and Sigur Rós—was nothing more than a clever marketing tactic to lure tourists.

In a new column titled ‘Free Business Idea: Become An Icelander Abroad,’ the publication writes: ‘We’ve implied that Iceland has a culture. It’s more useful to think of Iceland as a series of money-making schemes stitched together into a country.’

The column argues that ‘culture’ was ‘conceived of in the Age of Settlement, as a loss leader to lure in foreigners.’ Now that tourists have discovered Iceland’s natural wonders—waterfalls and that one crashed aeroplane—the need for culture has ‘thankfully ended.’

The tongue-in-cheek piece announces the Grapevine is pivoting into business advice, aiming to wean readers off culture and steer them toward ‘the greatest of all arts: the art of making money.’ While clearly satire, the column has struck a chord, sparking online debate about the commercialization of heritage and the role of tourism in shaping national identity.

Article source: grapevine.is | Image credit: Thrillist

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