Solar eclipse brings four cruise ships to Iceland
A cruise ship docked at Reykjavík harbour mbl.is/ Eggert Jóhannesson
Four cruise ships carrying over three thousand people will be arriving in Iceland especially to see the solar eclipse on March 20th as well as the northern lights. This is the first time that cruise ships come to Iceland during the wintertime and could mark the beginning of winter cruises to the country.
"This is a great novelty in cruises to Iceland," explains Jóhann Bogason, project manager of TV Zimsen, a company which services most of the cruise ships that stop in Iceland. "Cruise ships have never sailed to Iceland during the wintertime before. These cruise ships are all on an eleven day cruise to the north to see the solar eclipse as well as the northern lights. All of the ships will dock in Reykjavík. If this goes well it could mark the beginning of winter cruises to Iceland. "
The cruise ships Magellan, Marco Polo, Azores and Voyager will all be close to Iceland to observe the solar eclipse on March 20th. The upcoming solar eclipse will be the largest to be seen in Iceland in sixty years. All the cruises are sold out.
"According to information from international cruise liner companies, interest in cruises to Iceland is increasing every year and Iceland is the number one destination in the north," says Bogason. "The solar eclipse in March is an exciting event and the northern lights have become a great attraction. This obviously offers new opportunities for Icelandic tourism with exciting times ahead. Cruises to Iceland are a very important factor in the tourism industry which has been Iceland's greatest export in the last two years. "
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