Travel plans in jeopardy

Over a thousand calls have been made through the Icelandic Tourist Board’s emergency number, which was set up to help hotel guests who have lost their hotel accommodation in Reykjavík due to an ongoing strike, according to Jóhannes Þór Skúlason, director of the Icelandic Association of Tourists.

“This shows that the problem is real and will just continue to be a problem throughout the week as this situation continues. It will increase significantly after the work ban hits on Thursday. Then it will spread through other accommodations in the capital area,” he tells mbl.is.

He says no emergency resources have yet to be opened for tourists so far.

Disrupting travel plans

When asked, he says that the situation poses a major problem for tourists who have already come to Iceland.

“For example, they have to cancel their reservations they had already taken. Then they have to look for other accommodations that are largely booked for them here in the capital area. They have to look outside the capital area, which could mean that any plans for travel will be disrupted. This can create all sorts of problems for people.”

He also says that a number of people have skipped travelling to the country altogether due to losing their hotel accommodation.

“There are a number of groups that have canceled their arrival in those days because of that. I know of groups from the UK, for example, about a thousand people who will not be coming this week. Just that damage is likely to be about a hundred million for the company here, which has organized these trips.”

Over the past two weeks, the Icelandic Tourist Board has been in contact with the Ministry and the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management. The association has also been working with the Icelandic Tourist Board and the hotels in question to coordinate the response and information given to tourists.

"There are a few things that we have already done about this."