41,000 guests to Húsavík in 2007 spent roughly 129 million ISK on
whale-watching alone that year. These tourists spent roughly 13,000 ISK per day, and 650 million ISK was generated in Iceland as a whole on whale-watching.
These and other facts are the results of a study published by Rannveig Guðmundsdóttir and Andri Valur Ívarsso, based on research they conducted in the summer of 2008.
With regards to Húsavík, 85% of those polled for a survey said whale-watching had a very great influence or a great influence on their decision to come to Húsavík. 63% had decided to come to the town before even arriving in Iceland, while 26% said they decided after they arrived.
In comparison with whale-watching’s revenue, commercial whaling generates no “real” revenue – it’s subsidized with tax dollars.
In related news, 36 of the 63 members of the Icelandic parliament issued a joint statement expressing their support for former Minister of Fisheries Einar K. Guðfinnson’s decision to allow commercial whaling again, a measure he passed on his last day in office.