A fresh report from Keflavik International Airport has revealed an increase in tourism to the North Atlantic nation.
The report, which was published in association with Promote Iceland, showed a nine percent year-on-year rise in arrivals at Keflavik International Airport during the three summer months, whilst Keflavik officials said the facility is likely to exceed 2.4 million passenger movements by the end of the year.
Some of the largest growth continues to come via tourists from the United States; the number of American visitors has jumped by some 21 percent following last year’s record boom of 52 percent. The report said that American tourists brought ISK 132 billion (EUR 822 million) to the local economy this year and now outnumber visitors from Britain, Norway and Germany.
Inga Hlín Pálsdóttir, marketing director for Visit Iceland, told the media, “We are continuing to see record annual growth in the tourism sector, with Iceland’s unspoiled nature, rugged landscape and unique culture continuing to draw US visitors. This is resulting in the tourism season stretching from a summer-only season to a year-round destination,” argophilia.com reports.
The news comes as Icelandair continues to push on with its growth strategy, particularly focusing on the US. The carrier has announced increased flights to Denver and the 2013 launch of flights to Alaska in recent weeks.