Easing of Restrictions Brings Hope For British Visitors

Icelandair hopes to entice British visitors to Iceland over the summer, following the relative success so far of the COVID-19 vaccination programme in the UK.

Earlier this week the British government announced its plan to reduce epidemic restrictions in the UK—with staged dates for specific changes, including a removal of all restrictions by 21st June—dependent on certain conditions being met in the fight against the virus.

Birna Óskar Einarsdóttir, Icelandair’s Sales And Service Manager, views this as good news for the possibility of British tourism in Iceland this autumn, Fréttablaðið reports.

“We see clear signs that the British are starting to think about Icelandic travel this autumn. We will therefore launch a special marketing campaign in the UK over the coming weeks,” Birna said.

Although Iceland is usually more popular with British visitors in the winter, Birna sees the freedom to travel as an opportunity for summer visits too.

“Last summer all of a sudden there were Danes and Germans everywhere in Iceland, because the status of the epidemic was good there,” she said.

This optimistic view is supported by a consortium of British travel agents which analysed British travel habits and, earlier this month, identified Iceland as a new hot spot for Brits. Evidence that the UK population is ready to travel again also comes from the biggest British travel agent Tui, who reported a five-fold increase in bookings in the 24 hours following the government’s announcement.

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