Top reasons why Iceland is the ideal tourist destination during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Safe Place to Travel
Iceland is without a doubt a safe place to travel to. Nearly all the residents in Iceland over the age of 16 have been vaccinated. As of July 7th, about 10% of the population had received at least one shot of vaccination and 80% had been fully vaccinated. Iceland has opened its borders for vaccinated travellers, but those that haven’t received a vaccination must quarantine for 5 days. More info
Besides, being the second largest island in Europe, Iceland is quite a large island with lots to see and do and having a population under 368 thousand it is also the most sparsely populated country with about 80% of the country being uninhabited. About 63% of the residents live in Reykjavik Capital area.
Consequently, the virus is easy to track and tourists can explore the country without interacting with many people. For your own convenience you can follow live update about virus statistics and get a virus tracing app.
- Download virus tracing app
- Updated COVID-19 statistics
Fewer Tourists
Due to the impacts of COVID-19 and its travelling restrictions, there are fewer tourists in Iceland. Thus attraction sites won’t be covered with tourists, queues will be close to none and you don’t have to worry about booking a table or a seat in advance, in fear of running out of capacity.
We recommend the following modes to travel:
By rental car
The most convenient way to travel is by car. That way you can cover more ground and safe time and visit more places. It is possible to have a car waiting for your at the airport. Book a car
Private Tour
To optimize your trip when travelling to Iceland for the first time we recommend booking a private tour with a guide. That way you can get a personalized service and travel comfortably to the places you want to see and get an expertise touch without worrying about anything. See our tours here.
Great for Photography
Since there are fewer tourists, taking a picture or shooting a video should be piece of cake and the probability of somebody walking in front of your camera and ruining the perfect shot is less likely. If you want you can also travel during the night, when there will be even less people and it still will be bright outside.
Witness Volcanic Eruption
Restrictions Lifted
Life in Iceland has remained quite normal, despite the corona pandemic and infections been kept to minimum thanks to great cooperation with health care, security and governmental bodies. Things are slowly getting back to normal and most restrictions have been lifted. Masks are no longer required and social distancing is mere a part of the past. All public services are open including gyms, hair salons, swimming pools, shops and theatres and opening hours of pubs and restaurants are now back to normal.
Now, Iceland has opened its borders for visitors, albeit certain restrictions during COVID-19. Travellers that can provide a proof of vaccination against the virus or immunity are exempt for travel restrictions, others need to undergo a 5 days quarantine upon arrival during which time they will be tested twice for the virus. Please note individuals that are exempt from the travel ban but who are subject to visa requirement, must still be issued a visa prior to travelling. For a list of approved countries, visa and more information about travel restriction click here
The Midnight Sun
The days are long during summertime in Iceland and you can experience ‘Midnight Sun’ from mid May to mid August. The brightness reaches its peak during Summer Soltstice, the longest day of the year (June 21st), when the sun is visible for 24 hours, if weather permits, and doesn’t fully set. This happens due to the proximity to the Arctic Circle and occurs as the earth’s axis tilt towards the sun for six months and can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere, The Norther you go the brighter. This means you can travel longer in less time and take pictures during daylight even at 2 AM in the morning.
As it can take some time to adjust to the extended daylight, travellers are recommended to bring a sleep mask to cover their eyes to prevent sleep disturbances.
To get the most out of the sun, we recommend booking a private tour or a car to optimize your travel and being able to travel during the evening and cover more ground.
Nature Diversity
Iceland is often referred to as the Land of Fire and Ice, due to it’s volcanic activity, geothermal energy and glaciers. It is known for its stunning nature and diverse landscapes with striking contrasts of geysers, glaciers, volcanoes, craters, glaciers, lakes, rivers, glacier lagoons, waterfalls, lava fields and black sand beaches.
With its abundance of natural diversity and attraction sites, Iceland has a lot to offer, whether one seeks adventure or needed relaxation, everybody should find something that appeals to them.
Tourists are especially attracted to Iceland’s stunning and relatively untouched nature, its tranquility and geothermal energy.
We recommend the following attractions and popular activities:
- The Classical Golden Circle
- The breathtaking 南海岸游
- Reykjanes Peninsula and Fagradalsfjall Volcano
- Whale Watching and Puffin Tours
- The exquisite 大冰湖
- The wilderness of 兰德蔓纳劳火山内陆区 and 托尔斯漠克火山内陆
- Bathing at the Blue Lagoon
For more inspiration and tours click here
Boost the economy
Even though the virus didn’t cost many lives in Iceland, the pandemic really hit the economy hard. Iceland is a small nation that relies on tourism to boost economy and supply employment. Thus, travel restrictions and social distancing resulted in many businesses having serious financial difficulties or going bankrupt and lots of people that either directly or indirectly were connected to tourism, lost their livelihood. As the wheels of tourism are slowly starting please help us ignite the love for tourists and boost the economy.
We recommend you take your time to fully explore the country and get to know the culture, maybe learn a few words of Icelandic and really breath it it, indulge yourself and pick an activity you haven’t tried before and truly cherish the moment. Try out some Icelandic dishes and don’t forget to buy some souvenirs for the people at home and share your adventure with your friends and family on social media. Also, please take into account that unvaccinated tourist are required to follow a five days quarantine with test unless they can prove they have acquired immunity.
For more information about what is happening in Reykjavik and Iceland and what to see and do while travelling in Iceland click here.