Tourism in Iceland - wikipedia Tourism in Iceland Tourism in Iceland has grown considerably in economic significance in the past 15 years. As of 2016, the tourism industry is estimated to contribute about 10 percent to the Icelandic GDP ; the number of foreign visitors is set to exceed 2,000,000 by the end of 2017 ; tourism is responsible for a share of nearly 30 percent of the country 's export revenue. Contents 1 History 2 Tourist Demographics 3 Popular Tourist Destinations 4 Arrivals by country 5 See also 6 References 7 External links History Evolution of the annual number of foreign visitors to Iceland, as compared to the growth of the resident population. Services provided to foreign tourists were for a long time an insignificant part of the Icelandic economy, rarely contributing more than 2 percent to GDP, even long after the advent of international air travel. Until the early 1980s, the number of foreign visitors to Iceland increased slowly and erratically, never exceeding 80,000 in a single year, and for many years after that only barely kept pace with the increase in the number of Icelanders traveling to and from the country. This situation lasted until the turn of the century, when the annual number of visitors exceeded the total resident population for the first time, at around 300,000. A few years later the Icelandic tourism industry started to experience a boom which to this day shows no signs of abating, as witnessed by the fact that the number of foreign visitors grew on average by 6 percent per year between 2003 and 2010, and by some 20 percent per year on average between 2010 and 2014. In 2015, this rapid increase has continued, with the number of foreign visitors already exceeding 1 million in the period January to October. According to the Icelandic Tourist Board, the total number of overnight stays by foreign visitors to Iceland grew from 595,000 in 2000 to 2.1 million in 2010, before rising to 4.4 million in 2014. The number of people working in tourism - related industries in Iceland was 21,600 in 2014, representing nearly 12 percent of the total workforce, and tourism 's direct contribution to GDP is now close to 5 percent. Tourist demographics Iceland is well known for its untouched nature and unique atmosphere. Iceland receives the highest number of tourists during summer ( June -- August ). In 2014, around 42 % of visitors arrived in Iceland during its summer months, proportionally a slight decrease compared to the previous two years, the percentage of winter visitors having increased by over 4 % in the same period. As of year 2014, Iceland 's largest tourism markets comprises tourists from Central / South Europe, followed by those from other regions : North America, the UK, then the Nordic countries. In terms of visitors from individual countries, the top five for 2014 were the UK, USA, Germany, France and Norway. Canada had the largest percentage increase in visitor numbers in the 2013 - 2014 period, with an increase of over 60 % year on year. Popular Tourist destinations According to a survey carried out by the Icelandic Tourist Board in 2014, the following 10 destinations are the ones most frequently visited in Iceland, out of 39 specifically mentioned in the survey ( the percentages indicate the proportion of all foreign tourists visiting the destination in question and relate to the summer season, some of the destinations being less easily accessible in winter ). Rank Destination Percentage Capital Region 97.0 % Geysir / Gullfoss 59.4 % Þingvellir 50.4 % Vík 47.4 % 5 Skógar 43.6 % 6 Jökulsárlón ( glacier lagoon ) 42.3 % 7 Skaftafell 40.3 % 8 Akureyri 36.2 % 9 Mývatn 34.0 % 10 Blue Lagoon 31.5 % Arrivals by country Most visitors arriving in Iceland through the main airport are from the following countries of nationality : Rank Country 2015 2016 United States 242,805 415,287 United Kingdom 241,024 316,395 Germany 103,384 132,789 France 65,822 85,221 5 Canada 46,654 83,144 6 China 47,643 66,781 7 Sweden 43,096 54,515 8 Norway 51,402 51,012 9 Denmark 49,225 49,951 10 Poland 27,079 39,613 Total foreign 1,261,938 1,767,726 See also Iceland Economy of Iceland Elf / Huldufólk Tourism List of museums in Iceland References Jump up ^ `` Tourism to bring in 10 % of Iceland 's GDP in 2016 ''. Retrieved 2017 - 08 - 03. Jump up ^ `` Foreign visitors to Iceland 1949 - 2014 ''. p. 3. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 10. Jump up ^ `` International tourist receipts and expenditures and their share in exports and GDP 1969 - 2008 ''. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Foreign passengers 1971 - 1999 ''. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Passengers through Keflavik airport by citizenship and month 2002 - 2014 ''. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Foreign visitors to Iceland 1949 - 2014 ''. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Tourism in Iceland in Figures '' ( PDF ). p. 12. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Financial accounts ''. p. 3. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 10. Jump up ^ http://vr-iceland.grandpano.sk/ Jump up ^ Icelandic Tourism Board Jump up ^ Icelandic Tourism Board Jump up ^ `` Tourism in Iceland in Figures '' ( PDF ). p. 19. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 10. Jump up ^ Passengers through Keflavik airport by citizenship and month 2002 - 2015 - 2015 Jump up ^ Passengers through Keflavik airport by citizenship and month 2002 - 2016 External links Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Iceland. Icelandic Tourist Board Discover Iceland Icelandic Tourist Board in North America regional sites of the Icelandic Tourist Board http://www.visitreykjavik.is for Reykjavík http://www.westiceland.is for West Iceland http://www.westfjords.is for Westfjords http://www.northiceland.is for North Iceland http://www.east.is for East Iceland http://www.south.is for South Iceland http://www.visitreykjanes.is for Reykjanes https://goiceland.net for Vietnamese Tourism in Europe Sovereign states Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City States with limited recognition Abkhazia Artsakh Kosovo Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria Dependencies and other entities Åland Faroe Islands Gibraltar Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey Svalbard Iceland articles History By topic Economic Military Nationality Prohibition Rulers Monarchy Timeline Settlement Commonwealth Christianisation Aristocracy Sturlung Era Reformation Danish trade monopoly Independence Movement Kingdom World War II Invasion Cold War Cod Wars Great Recession Geography Cities and towns Climate Earthquakes Extremities Fjords Geology Glaciers Highlands Islands Lakes National parks Regions Rivers Valleys Volcanoes Waterfalls Politics Administrative divisions Cabinet Constitution Elections Foreign relations Human rights Law Law enforcement LGBT history LGBT rights Military Parliament Political parties President Prime Minister Supreme Court Economy Agriculture Banking Communications Króna ( currency ) Outvasion Renewable energy Stock Exchange Taxation Tourism Transportation Society Demographics Education Healthcare Icelanders Languages Religion Culture Anthem Architecture Art Cinema Coat of arms Cuisine Flag Literature Media Music Names National costume Public holidays Sport Outline Index Portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tourism_in_Iceland&oldid=799082720 '' Categories : Tourism in Iceland Tourism in Europe Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Deutsch Français Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska ქართული მარგალური Polski Português Română Русский ไทย Edit links This page was last edited on 5 September 2017, at 14 : 53. 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Question: how much impact does the tourist industry have on the icelandic economy
Answer: 10 percent to the Icelandic GDP