From NY Times: After the Volcanic Cloud, a Bright Spot in Iceland
By CHRISTINE NEGRONI
Reuters Ash from the volcano in Iceland that halted air travel in the spring.
The 10 million people stranded by ash from the Eyjafjallajokull this spring may still be cursing the volcano’s name, if they can pronounce it. But in Iceland, Eyjafjallajokull is being hailed as the volcano that is raising tourism to new heights.“We’ve definitely seen an increase in interest in Iceland,” said Michael Raucheisen, communications coordinator for Icelandair. “People who didn’t know where Iceland was, definitely do now.”
At Volcano Tours in Grindavik, which takes tourists to the volcano by jeep, business has more than doubled over last year. According to the Iceland Tourist Board, travel to Iceland from North America is up 13 percent so far this year, and bookings are strong for fall and winter.
This month, Delta Air Lines announced it would begin daily service from New York to Reykjavik in June 2011. Iceland Express, a new low-cost carrier, will offer flights from Newark, Boston and Chicago. With these flights joining Icelandair’s daily service, the number of seats available to travelers into the country will soon be more than double the number of Americans who visited Iceland last year.
“Delta is a huge airline, and I assume they are counting on their strong appearance in the market,” said Einar Gustavsson of the tourism board. “They have an enormous distribution network and powerful booking engines,” he said. “Things are looking good.”
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