Tourism in Iceland is reaching the same levels as before the pandemic, both in terms of Icelanders traveling abroad and tourists visiting the country, Visír reports. The mayor of Reykjanesbær, Kjartan Már Kjartansson, is happy that the traffic is increasing and says it is a great relief for everyone.
About a hundred flights pass though Keflavík Airport everyday and the parking lots around the airpots are fully packed. In the summer, a large number of tourists is expected to arrive in Iceland through Keflavík Airport.
Kjartan says: “The airport is a source of about 40% of all economic activity here, directly or indirectly, and is by far the largest workplace in the area, and perhaps the country if everything is taken into account.”
It is estimated that traffic this summer will be around 75% of what it was in 2019, before the pandemic.
According to Kjartan, the jobs at the airport helped to decrease unemployment rates in the region from 25% to 8.6%. Extensive construction work is also underway in Leifsstöð. “This will be the biggest year in the history of Isavia [the company which operates the airport], with up to 25,000 square meters in construction and a hundred jobs around it, so we are just happy,” adds Kjartan.
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