Direct flights a turning point for tourism in North Iceland

"Direct international flights to Akureyri are a turning point for tourism in North Iceland, I believe, and hopefully we are just seeing the beginning of it," says Fjóla Viktorsdóttir, co-owner of Syðra-Skörðugil, a horse rental and a guesthouse.

"There is a long way to go from Keflavík to the north, although us locals maybe don't feel that way when we go abroad. For visitors who want to make a short stop in Iceland, going up north can seem like a long way to go from Keflavík. So I think that increased international flights to Akureyri will only increase the demand for services in tourims and thereby the changing the landscape for a business like ours. Especially if it means we have more demand the whole year. It can be challenging to have this job for maybe only four months," Fjóla says.

Travellers in Skagafjörður should not miss out on meeting an Icelandic horse, according to Fjóla.

"The traveller who comes to Skagafjörður has to get to know the Icelandic horse, in my eyes that's the first thing to recommend. Number two is nature. We have a lot of waterfalls and mountains that are great for hiking and sightseeing. It is so calm there, I would say. You can go to places in Skagafjörður where you will not see anybody. There are a lot of such places, with easy hikes. A lot of lakes and waterfalls, an abundance of nature that people shouldn't miss out on. Calmness, nature and the Icelandic horse."

Tourism is one of the main jobs of the whole family, which wasn't really the plan.

"In the beginning, we were looking to finance renovations for a building we either had to renovate or tear down.  The last 20-25 years we have had small horse-related services, accommodating friends, family and their guests. Bit by bit, this has grown. Somehow it just became bigger."

Asked if winter tourism in North Iceland can grow bigger, Fjóla has no doubts.

"Can we make winter tourism better and increase it? Yes, there are always opportunities everywhere for everyone to do better. First and foremost, we need to be ready to work very hard. I think that, the opportunities are mostly bound by what we can think of, what's on offer and what we want to offer and present. It doesn't need to be something grand, no fireworks. For example, have more on offer year-round, open museums, open restaurants and activities that are more winter-related. We can't sail to Drangey in winter, but we can offer skiing in Tindastóll in winter instead. Horseback riding can be available all year round and there are lot of things to do and see."