Icelandic Nature the biggest draw
Tourists by the sculpture The Sun Voyager by Jón Gunnar Árnason by Sæbraut in Reykjavík facing Mt Esja and the open sea. mbl.is/Eggert Jóhannesson
Icelandic nature was the most influential factor in foreign tourists’ decision to visit Iceland in 2022. 97% of respondents in the Icelandic Tourist Board survey said nature had a major or partial influence on their decision to travel to Iceland. Interest in the Arctic was also an important factor (84.6%) and in outdoor related activities (79.9%).
“The recommendation made by friends and relatives (59.2%), Icelandic culture, and Icelanders in general (55.4%) had a great influence,” is reported in the results of the study published on the website of the Icelandic Tourist Board.
Foreign tourists spent an average of seven nights in Iceland, slightly less than in the previous year, but roughly one-quarter of them stayed longer in Iceland, nine nights or longer.
“The vast majority of respondents (90.6%) visited the capital region, about four out of five (79.9%) visited the southern part of Iceland, about two out of three (65.9%) visited Reykjanes, almost half (47.2%) visited the west, almost one third (32.4%) visited the north, nearly three out of ten (28.5%) visited the east and about 13% visited the west fjords,” the results state.
According to the participants’ answers, three out of five tourists used car rental cars as their main mode of transportation during their Iceland trip, while organized bus trips were the main mode of transportation for 23% of the tourists.
