A lot of cruise ships coming to Ísafjörður

This summer, a lot of tourists on cruise ships are expected to arrive in Ísafjörður. This week, thousands of tourists will arrive in Ísafjörður, most of whom were due to arrive on July 4, or about nine thousand. This is what Hilmar Kristjánsson Lyngmo, the harbor manager of Ísafjörður, says to Morgunblaðið.

“We were afraid of one day July , 4. It was estimated that 9,000 passengers would come here, but that’s been resolved,” he says, adding that some ships were able to move on to other dates. “That’s when it became manageable, and the number of passengers dropped by 4,000,” he adds.

Does not “overwhelm” the town

A policy has been published in the town regarding the number of passengers on cruise ships. “We aim in our procedures now that this does not exceed 7,000 passengers per day,” Kristjánsson says.

This summer, the number of passengers has been at its highest, about 5,000 per day, and Kristjánsson says that this number doesn’t “overwhelm” the town. There is cooperation between the port and the tourism industry when it comes to how many tourists can come by cruise ships each day which helps ensure a good experience for the guests.

Kristjánsson says that there is a lot of pressure on the companies that serve tourists when the number in this small community exceeds 7000 tourists.  “It’s not nice for the passengers or the town that there are maybe 3,000 people who can’t get around and therefore have nothing to do,” he adds.