As expected, record numbers of tourists visited Iceland over Christmas, and we’ve compiled a schedule of what places are open when over the holidays.
RÚV reports that on Christmas Eve, 25 airplanes full of tourists landed in Iceland, compared to 13 planes on the same day last year. Thousands of tourists went on day trips, to see the northern lights, and to take part in whale watching tours on Christmas Day as well.
“You could say that it’s actually a regular day for us in the tourism industry today,” Skapti Örn Ólafsson from the Icelandic Travel Industry Association told reporters. “It’s different from the way it was maybe ten years ago, when it wasn’t open everywhere, but today you could say that a company in the tourism industry is experiencing a regular day, as it’s open at many places.”
As reported, Hildur Ómarsdóttir, the Director of Sales and Marketing at Icelandair Hotels, confirmed for reporters that Hilton Nordica, Reykjavík Marina and Reykjavík Natura are all fully booked for New Year’s, with a great many also reserved for Christmas. The three hotels have a total of 640 rooms. While she said that these tourists come from all over the world, Americans in particular have been coming to Iceland in increasing numbers.
If you are currently in, or planning on coming, to Iceland over the holidays, it may be helpful to know that different places are open on different days (and during different hours) over the holidays. Fortunately, you can check our handy Opening Hours calendar to see at a glance what’s in store for the season.
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