The Traveller's Magazine
After Japan unleashed their tourism dragon, it’s time for Iceland to step up its game as well. Even the president and his wife are getting into it by inviting foreign tourists to their home for crepes and fresh cream. Iceland is loading on the charm… and it’s working!
Like other Icelanders we are going to invite you to visit our home and we will give you delicious pancakes with cream and sugar, a traditional Icelandic delicacy. Because Dorrit favours very much health and good nutrition you will also get extraordinary products from our greenhouses then we’ll show you the landscape, the birdlife and the extraordinary light you can witness in Iceland at this time of year.
Like pancakes? Well, then pack your bags and send your RSVP pronto to Mr. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson.
Iceland opens its doors
And we mean literally. On the island, everyone is chipping in. Even the mayor of Reykjavik would like to invite you to his residence in Town Hall for a sushi dinner. The Minister of Icelandic Tourism would also like to share a thermal foot bath with you. Even non-celebrities, locals, would like to invite you to partake in simple pleasures like a hike in the mountains, a gourmet dish, some folk music, etc.
Last year after the eruption of Eyjaffjollajokull, Iceland Tourism launched a campaign to encourage Icelanders to open their homes to strangers. It was a huge success! About a third of the country’s citizens have invited friends and colleagues from overseas to visit. Among the more famous were Eric Clapton, Viggo Mortensen, Yoko Ono and Bjork. At the end of the year, Iceland make a whopping €156 million Euros in profit from tourism.
The volcanic ash cloud that darkened Europe last year and grounded flights for days revealed Icelandic locals wanted to tell the world how beautiful, how majestic, Iceland really is. The volcano gave Iceland the chance to be in the spotlight again, although not entirely in a positive one. All those travellers who want to visit the Island and find some real adventure will find that Icelanders are opening their homes and are eager to share their passions with visitors from abroad.
Tempted by the Iceland experience? Visit the campaign website inspiredbyiceland.com, select the invitations that spark your interest and get in touch directly with your future host! What a great idea!
Flights to Reykjavik
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