Editor's Note: The COVID-19 policies and procedures listed below are up-to-date as of press time. However, we encourage all readers to head to each individual country’s governmental tourism website prior to travel to confirm the information regarding entry protocols.
As of last Tuesday, U.S. travelers who’ve been fully vaccinated for
COVID-19 — and have the proper documentation to prove it —
are now eligible to visit Iceland.
Government officials for the small island nation, which is home
today to about 360,000 residents, had been allowing only inoculated travelers from the EU to bypass the
destination’s otherwise mandatory extended quarantine period and rigorous
routine of multiple pre- and post-arrival tests.
However, Icelandic officials expanded that vaccine exemption
to all travelers on April 6.
“It was just a logical next step in the return to normalcy,”
said Oddny Arnarsdottir, the North American travel trade manager for
Visit Iceland. “And the U.S. is, of course, a very important market for us.”
Until at least May 1, however, fully vaccinated visitors
will still be subject to a mandatory COVID-19 PCR test upon arrival at the
airport in Iceland. All travelers will then be asked to quarantine at their
accommodations until they receive the results of that post-arrival test, which
typically takes between six and 24 hours, according to Arnarsdottir.
It was just a logical next step in the return to normalcy. And the U.S. is, of course, a very important market for us.
“This is just a precaution,” she said, noting the
post-arrival airport tests will be re-evaluated on May 1. “It’s just a
temporary measure while they are still gathering data on vaccines."
Visitors will need to complete online registration documents
before boarding a flight to Iceland, and then at the airport, they’ll need to present
documentation demonstrating they’ve received both their Pfizer, Moderna or
AstraZeneca shots — or their lone Johnson & Johnson dose. After
their post-arrival test results come back negative, travelers are then free to
explore the country without restrictions.
Iceland Opens Up to U.S. Travelers
The U.S. has been Iceland’s largest source market for many
years, according to Arnarsdottir, who said that just under 700,000 American
travelers visited Iceland in 2018, spending an average of six nights in the
destination.
“They are also travelers who visit Iceland throughout the
year, not just during summertime,” she said of Americans. “They also come here
for the northern lights in winter. … And we look forward to welcoming them
back."
Tourism is a critical component of Iceland’s economy, according to Arnarsdottir,
and like so many visitor-dependent destinations, the country has been devastated by the
pandemic. In 2019, Iceland welcomed more than 2 million international travelers,
but that total arrivals figure plunged 75% in 2020 to just 480,000 visitors,
said Arnarsdottir.
News of Iceland’s decision to extend its vaccine exemption
beyond EU travelers, allowing inoculated North Americans to return, has since
generated terrific interest.
“Inquiries just went through the roof,” Arnarsdottir said.
“Bookings have been a bit slower, but there’s still a good increase, especially
toward the summer and fall.”
Inquiries just went through the roof. Bookings have been a bit slower, but there’s still a good increase, and especially toward the summer and fall.
Stefanie Schmudde, vice president of product development and
operations for Abercrombie & Kent USA (A&K), said the luxury tour
operator has also seen bookings for Iceland improve.
U.S. travel advisors and tour operators say inquiries and bookings for Iceland vacations have increased in recent weeks.
Credit: 2021 Gunnar Freyr / Visit Iceland“We’ve definitely seen increased interest over the last few
weeks as news has spread about Iceland’s move to reopen to vaccinated guests,”
Schmudde said. “And we’ve seen that interest both for our Small Group Journeys
and for private Tailor-Made Travel,
which I think is really a positive sign."
Schmudde noted that a number of A&K’s Iceland bookings
are for later this year and 2022, but the tour operator has also been putting
some shorter-term business on the books, including a large U.S. family who pulled
the trigger on a summer group package to the destination just last week.
“Basically, they saw the news that Iceland was going to be
open, they called us, and we set them up with their own July departure,”
Schmudde said.
What to Do When Visiting Iceland Now
Iceland’s extraordinary geology has been generating a rash
of global headlines in recent weeks, thanks to an eruption that began March 19 at
the destination’s Geldingadalir volcano,
which is about 18 miles southwest of Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavik.
“This is what we sometimes call a ‘touristy eruption,’” Arnarsdottir said with a laugh. “It's on the Reykjanes
Peninsula, which is also a UNESCO Global Geopark, and it's very well located.
It's in a valley, so it's not close to any infrastructure, and it's not
affecting any towns.”
Arnarsdottir said the lava-spewing rift is accessible to
visitors, and she’s been out to see the excitement firsthand, approaching close
enough that she “felt the heat of the lava.”
Iceland’s Geldingadalir volcano, located about 18 miles southwest of Reykjavik, began erupting March 19, attracting thousands of spectators.
Credit: 2021 Garoar Olafs / Visit Iceland“It was absolutely amazing,” Arnarsdottir said, noting the
location is monitored by local police and community volunteers to help steer
onlookers in the right direction. “There’s a marked path for people to walk,
and they’ve put a rope up the mountain to hold onto while you're going up the
hill. It's been done very well.”
Ashley Les, a New York-based advisor with Protravel
International who has been selling Iceland for about eight years, said she’s
also seen interest spike recently for the destination, which she’s booked
frequently in the past for honeymooners.
Along with time at the legendary Blue Lagoon thermal pools,
also located on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Les was quick to insist Iceland
visitors should really make time to do a guided glacier hike.
“They give you crampons, and you’re just walking all over a
glacier,” said Les, who visited Iceland herself a few years ago. “That’s
something people don’t think they could ever do outside of maybe Antarctica, so
I think it’s just super special."
Les also suggested travelers consider a stay at the Ion
Adventure Hotel, about an hour’s drive east of Reykjavik.
“Honestly, it looks like it’s a fancy container that was put
on the moon,” she explained. “You have hot springs nearby and no other hotels
in sight, and it’s floor-to-ceiling windows and hot tubs. I think it really
shows off the internal beauty of Iceland.”
Arnarsdottir also noted that a new Marriott Edition property
is slated to open in Reykjavik this summer, and encouraged advisors interested
in learning more about the destination to visit Iceland’s travel trade website,
which features everything from online training modules to high-res images and
b-roll video.
“You will get a lot of reading material, because we think
it's very important that you know more about Iceland,” she said.
Learn More About Travel Restrictions to Iceland
Travelers and advisors can find all the
necessary information about the COVID-19-related travel restrictions that apply
when visiting Iceland here.
The Details
Visit Iceland
www.visiticeland.com
