Tourists to Iceland increased by approximately 19% in the first six months of 2007 according to data from the tourist office at Keflavik International Airport. June saw a particularly large increase with 25% more people compared to the same time last year.
From 1st January until the end of June 2007, 177,831 foreign visitors passed through Keflavik compared to 149,132 in 2006. A small reduction was seen in visitors from the United States but there were increases from every other market. Britain saw the most visitors to Iceland during the period, followed by the US and Denmark in second and third places respectively, which was the same as 2006.
According to Arsaell Hardarson, marketing manager at the tourist office, the growth doesn’t come as a surprise. “There has been an steady increase in the number of special offers on flights, particularly to and from Europe, Scandinavia and Britain. The number of room nights has also increased and steady marketing campaigns have been conducted in all these markets”.