Northstar

TRAVEL WEEKLY ASIA O F F I C I A L D A I L I E S www.travelweekly-asia.com 10 26 October 2017 You may not have been there yet but surely, you've seen (from social media) and heard about the epic landscapes of Iceland, a Nordic island nation shaped by active volcanoes, glacier-cut fjords, roaring rivers and dramatic valleys. Exhibiting for the first time at ITB Asia, Þorleifur Þór Jónsson , senior manager, trade delegations of Promote Iceland shares the country's plans to appeal to Asians through its nature offerings. It's your first time at ITB Asia. Can you share more on your overall strategy for the Asian market? As the Asia market is relatively new to us, our primary focus is on creating attention and awareness of this unique destination. In terms of tourism themes, our emphasis is on nature, with the Northern lights and geothermal energy as highlights. Iceland is a modern society offering full service to our guests. The proximity of great natural attractions By Lee Xin Hui not been approved and as there are upcoming parliamentary elections in Iceland on October 28, this might change. What are some of the latest tourism products in Iceland that travel agents and their customers should keep in mind? We are increasingly making the nature of Iceland more accessible via local tours including Into the Glacier, Inside the Volcano, Mountaineers of Iceland and several quality whale watching tour providers such as Elding and Special Tours. Hotel capacity is increasing fast and we have many excellent local chains including Hotels of Iceland, Icelandair Hotels and Keahotels. Reykjavik will also receive its first five-star international hotel, Marriott Edition, late next year. Nordic Nature is Calling Midnight Summer in Kirkjufell PHOT0 CREDIT: 44ER/ISTOCK. Exhibiting for the first time at ITB Asia, Promote Iceland wants to appeal to Asians with its vast natural attractions. form the vibrant capital of Reykjavík makes it an ideal place to visit. While there are no direct flights from Asia, Iceland is connected with over 85 destinations by direct flight on both sides of the Atlantic. This makes us an ideal stopover on the trans-Atlantic flight. Also, both the Icelandic airlines Icelandair and WOW Air offer complimentary stopovers in Iceland for up to seven days. Of last year's 1.77 million visitors and this year's forecast of 2.2-2.3 million, what proportion is made up of visitors from Asia Pacific? Can you share the top source markets? China is now in the top five source markets from Asia with close to 90,000 passengers this year. Japan is also large with 25,000 visitors while many also come from Australians albeit on combination tours. We're also seeing increases from Taiwan and Korea. "Iceland is connected with over 85 destinations... on both sides of the atlantic." – ÞORLEIFUR ÞÓR JÓNSSON, SENIOR MANAGER, TRADE DELEGATIONS, ÍSLANDSSTOFA / PROMOTE ICELAND RUN IN THE LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN T hanks to its proximity to the Arctic Circle, Iceland experiences 24 hours of daylight during the peak of the summer solstice in June. A great way to experience this dazzling natural phenomenon is taking part in the Suzuki Midnight Sun Run, which starts late in the evening in the bright summer night. Conducted over three distances – 5km, 10km and the half marathon – the run starts and ends in Laugardalu valley and takes runners on asphalt paths with great views of the salmon river Elidaa and lake Raudavatn. To cap off the run, participants are invited to take a dip in an outdoor geothermal swimming pool. The 2018 Suzuki Midnight Sun Run will take place on June 21. On-line registration starts in autumn 2017 at http://marathon.is/midnight-run. In March, Reykjavik announced a tax hike from next year, which means more expensive holidays for tourists. How do you see this impacting tourism, and are there any plans to negate its effects? There has been a loud protest from the tourism industry on this matter. What is referred to here are plans to change the VAT on tourism from 11% to 22%. However, the budget has

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