Skift Take
Even though everything's on the up and up now, Iceland will have to think harder on how to not get overrun by tourists.
The Icelandic Tourist Board has reported that 618,901 foreign travellers have visited Iceland so far in 2012, which represents 99K more tourists than in the same time period last year, or a 19.1 percent increase.
British tourists top the list, representing 27.7% of the total number of tourists, followed by Americans (17.4%), Norwegians (8.3%), Swedes (5.8%), Germans (5.2%), Danes (4.9%) and the French (4.1%).
CNN: Foreign visitors increased by 15.9% last year whilst travel now accounts for 5.9% of GDP…by 2020 Iceland’s president Olafur Ragnar Grimsson says he hopes this [tourists] figure will be nearer two million, almost seven times the country’s population.
The Daily Newsletter
Our daily coverage of the global travel industry. Written by editors and analysts from across Skift’s brands.
Have a confidential tip for Skift? Get in touch
Photo credit: Icelandic sheep in north-west of the country, how long before their peace gets shattered? by Rafat Ali