International flights from AEY and EGS
The Icelandic government has approved a proposal from the Prime Minister for a working group to look into the possibility of regular international flights from Akureyri and Egilsstaðir.
Working group to be set up
The working group will deliberate on issues such as implementation, cost, involvement of the public and private sectors, and marketing. It will have three months to come up with an action plan and cost analysis.
The group will be made up of representatives from Promote Iceland, Isavia, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Industries and Innovation, and elsewhere. It will be headed by a representative of the Prime Minister’s Office.
Spreading the benefits of tourism
2014 saw over one million tourists travel to Iceland by air, with numbers forecast to rise sharply over the next few years. The vast majority of tourists explore only the south-western regions of Iceland. Other parts of the country therefore do not benefit as much from these increase in visitor numbers. The government is apparently keen to promote a more even distribution of tourists around the country. The hope is that this will even out the strain exerted on Iceland’s natural resources across the country and enable other regions of Iceland to develop year-round tourism and support local infrastructure.