Icelandic authorities are trying to rebuild the tourism industry, increase jobs in cultural and creative industries and improve the country’s competitiveness.
Additionally, Lilja Dögg Alfreðsdóttir, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Trade, pointed out that the goal for tourists is to spend a total of ISK 700 billion in Iceland by 2030, reports SchengenVisaInfo.com.
“The role of the state is to create an environment conducive to creativity, an environment that creates value for business and culture. This strengthens our competitiveness, which not only affects the business world, but society as a whole,” stressed the minister.
Alfreðsdóttir pointed out that the new ministry “will be the money-creation backbone of the economy going forward.”
“By integrating the challenges of the new Ministry of Culture and Commerce, the conditions are created for new opportunities and progress to benefit society as a whole and foster growth and prosperity for the future”, underlined the Minister, shortly after the entry into office of the new Ministry of Culture and Trade.
According to a previous report by Morgunblaðið, Iceland welcomed more than 700,000 international tourists over the past year, compared to 2020 figures in which more than 486,000 international tourists visited the Nordic country.
The report also showed that in 2019, before the coronavirus outbreak spread, Iceland welcomed more than 2 million international tourists. However, the head of the Icelandic Tourist Board (Ferðamálastofa), Skarphéðinn Steinarsson, said the number of companies in the travel industry had not changed noticeably over the past year.
Minister Alfreðsdóttir stressed that the ministry is trying to build on the good that exists and also to move forward and increase the country’s creativity index. She added that in this way, the ministry would contribute to the revival of the country’s economy and ensure a good foundation for the future.
“It is ingenuity, knowledge and creativity that are the main engine of the progress we aim for”, stressed the minister.
The spread of the coronavirus and its novel strains has caused significant hardship for Iceland’s tourism sector as well as tourism industries in countries around the world, leaving large numbers of people unemployed.
However, despite the decline recorded due to the coronavirus situation, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates that the contribution of the global travel and tourism industry to the global economy could reach 8.6 trillion. dollars this year, 6.4% behind the pre-pandemic figures.
