Lava Academy Podcast: Grindavík’s Next Chapter with Ásta Kristín Sigurjónsdóttir

How do you rebuild a community when the ground beneath it has changed?

For the people of Grindavík, that question reaches into every part of life: homes, businesses, schools and the future of a town they love.

In this episode of the Lava Academy Podcast, hosts Iain MacKinnon and Ragnhildur Ágústsdóttir are joined by Ásta Kristín Sigurjónsdóttir, CEO of the Icelandic Tourism Cluster, to explore the human side of Iceland’s volcanic activity.

Through her work with Grindavík’s businesses, Ásta has witnessed the determination, creativity and humour of people finding a way forward through extraordinary circumstances. She shares how collaboration can help a community rebuild, why local people should lead the telling of their own story, and how tourism can contribute to that future.

In This Episode

Discover how volcanic activity has reshaped life in Grindavík—and how its people are responding.

Ásta shares:

• What it means to help businesses plan for the future while living with uncertainty.

• How fisheries, tourism operators and other local companies are working together.

• Why Grindavík’s people want a stronger voice in how their town is portrayed.

• How visitors can approach the town’s story with curiosity and respect.

• Why education matters when travelling through Iceland’s volcanic landscapes.

• What a thriving future for Grindavík could look like.

It is a conversation about belonging, livelihoods and the determination to keep going.

Watch the episode about Grindavík featuring Ásta Krístín Sigurjónsdóttir

Building Bridges Between People and Businesses

Ask Ásta what she does, and her answer is simple: she builds bridges.

At the Icelandic Tourism Cluster, that means bringing businesses together with municipalities, universities and other organisations to share knowledge and solve problems. Companies can compete for customers while still working together on challenges that affect them all.

In Grindavík, those connections have taken on particular importance.

Ásta explains the thinking behind Grindavík – Saman í sókn, a collaboration bringing together businesses from across the town. Through workshops and shared projects, participants have explored product development, storytelling and ways to strengthen the local economy.

A large fishing company and a small guesthouse each have something to contribute. Both need a voice in the town’s future.

“What Are These People Made Of?”

That is the question Ásta describes asking herself after meetings with Grindavík’s business owners.

Despite everything they have experienced, people keep bringing ideas, gathering others around them and looking for ways to move forward.

Her account also makes room for exhaustion and frustration. Setbacks can change plans that once seemed within reach. Rebuilding requires patience, and sometimes the most useful thing she can do is sit down with a business owner and listen.

Throughout the conversation, Ásta returns to the connection between strong businesses and a living community. Jobs give people a reason to return. Local services help make everyday life possible.

The future takes shape through those practical connections, one business and one decision at a time.

Letting Grindavík Tell Its Own Story

One concern emerged clearly when Ásta began working with local businesses: people were talking about Grindavík, but too often the people of Grindavík were missing from the conversation.

They wanted to help shape the story being told.

International attention naturally follows dramatic images of eruptions, lava flows and damaged buildings. Yet the town’s story also includes its fishing heritage, its entrepreneurs, its humour and the relationships that hold a community together.

Ásta describes businesses finding a shared voice and exploring how to present their work together.

For visitors, listening to those local voices offers a deeper understanding of a place whose story is still unfolding.

Curiosity, Respect and Volcano Tourism

Iain raises a question that many visitors may recognise: is it appropriate to visit somewhere that has experienced so much upheaval?

He recalls feeling uncomfortable about going to Grindavík simply to look at what had happened.

Ásta discusses how locally led businesses and experiences can give visitors a way to engage with the town while supporting the people telling its story. Respect means listening, recognising the personal experiences behind the landscape and allowing the community to set the tone.

Ragnhildur also shares how this consideration shapes storytelling at Lava Show. Explaining volcanic events carries a responsibility to the people whose homes and lives have been affected.

Understanding Iceland Through Its Stories

The conversation opens into a broader question: how can tourism help people understand the places they visit?

For Ásta, education is central to regenerative development—an approach that aims to leave a place in better shape.

Hosts have an important role in that process. Visitors need opportunities to learn about the landscape, the culture and the experiences of the people who live there.

That is why Ásta recommends Lava Show as a starting point for guests exploring Iceland. Seeing real lava and hearing the stories behind it can give travellers a richer understanding of what they encounter during the rest of their trip.

What Would Success Look Like?

Asked to imagine Grindavík five or ten years into the future, Ásta pictures children playing, people gathering in restaurants and cars parked outside homes.

She hopes to see a community supported by strong businesses, with returning residents and newcomers bringing energy to its next chapter.

It is a hopeful, deeply human vision of what rebuilding means.

Listen to the Full Episode

Join Ásta, Iain and Ragnhildur for a thoughtful conversation about Grindavík, Icelandic resilience and the people shaping life alongside volcanic forces.

Listen to the full episode of the Lava Academy Podcast, or watch the conversation on YouTube.

Start Your Iceland Story at Lava Show

See real molten lava flow before your eyes, feel its heat and discover how volcanic forces shape Iceland’s landscapes and everyday life.

Visit Lava Show in Reykjavík or Vík, and bring a deeper understanding of Iceland’s volcanic world to the rest of your journey.