An idyllic canyon in Iceland has had to be closed off to tourists after featuring in a Justin Bieber music video.
The Canadian pop star was filmed strolling along the Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon's grassy edges, contemplating its beauty, running down paths towards its dramatic waterfall and even bathing in its icy waters.
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Now, Icelandic environmental officials have closed off access to the area as Bieber fans flock to reenact the video.
Environment minister Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson told the Associated Press (AP) that rope fences, signs and designated paths were only introduced to restrict access to the area after the music video was filmed.
More than a million people have visited the canyon since the video was released in 2015.
"We came because of Justin Timberlake," one Russian tourist told AP, who was quickly corrected by her friends.
"It was so amazing," they said about the Bieber video. "After that, we decided it was necessary to visit this place."
Bieber's video for his song 'I'll Show You' has been watched over 440 million times on YouTube alone.
Iceland has experienced an extreme surge in tourism numbers over the past eight years with numbers increasing from 600,000 to 2.3 million over that period.
With similar dramatic scenes easily found throughout New Zealand, our environmental agencies should take note.
"Rash behaviour by one famous person can dramatically impact an entire area if the mass follows," Guðbrandsson said.
Newshub.
