Húsavík prospects looking up

My first official stop on my trip to the north was a visit to Húsavík's Mayor, Culture Museum, and Whale Museum. The Mayor was cautiously optimistic about the region's future in light of possible investments by European firms. He noted the continued growth of whale watching and interest in further investment in tourist infrastructure. The Culture Museum recently received a national award for its exhibits highlighting the connections between nature and the Icelandic way of life over the last 100 years. The
Whale Museum was thriving with tourists interested to learn about these noble giants.

We love their recent addition which teaches and engages children on the preservation of these gentle and beautiful creatures. There is no question that whale watching is an enormously important industry in Iceland. It is thriving and generating much needed jobs and other economic activity.  I am pleased to note that the U.S. National Science Foundation has partnered with the Culture Museum Director to teach children about archeological research in the area, and that an American couple donated a significant amount in support of the Whale Museum.

Whale watching boosts Grundarfjörður’s income in winter

It was fascinating to learn that winter tourism was non-existent in Grundarfjörður only two years ago. In fact, the town’s main hotel sat empty all winter long. When winter migration patterns brought large numbers of herring to the fjord, orcas followed. Whale watching industry enthusiasts saw an enormous opportunity. They worked with local authorities and entrepreneurs to set up whale watching operations for the first time in 2012.

In two years’ time, winter tourism has exploded, bringing income and additional employment to the community. The hotel is now fully booked all winter and planning with other entrepreneurs to set up additional attractions and expand economic opportunities to the town. We saw close to 80 orcas during our outing. It is too early to quantify the impact of whale watching, but it is clearly enormously beneficial to the community.

Whale watching – a force multiplier for the tourism industry

Mary and I had the opportunity to go out and enjoy the wonders of whale watching just a few minutes outside of Reykjavik. The day was absolutely perfect with no wind and endless visibility. We saw hundreds of dolphins and majestic humpback whales cavorting in the ocean. One could see the joy in the tourists’ faces when observing these beautiful and graceful mammals only a few yards away.

I am told that over 170,000 tourists went whale watching in Iceland last year and that the industry has been growing at about 10% per year. This is a promising sector: whale-watching employs about 500 people in the 5-month summer season and indirectly generates many other jobs in the tourist industry. The impact is especially strong in Northern Iceland. There is no doubt that whale watching has become one of the most important drivers for generating tourism income in Iceland.