"We can offer so much to our visitors in wintertime"
"Direct flights to Akureyri are a big thing for us and the community here. Both for my workplace, the Mývatn Nature Baths and the community, because we have such a big chance to increase tourism, especially during winter time as easyJet is now flying here," says Ragnhildur Hólm Sigurðardóttir, HR&Marketing Manager at Mývatn Nature Baths.
As easyJet is now flying directly to Akureyri airport in North Iceland and travel agencies in both the Netherlands and Switzerland offer trips with direct flights to Akureyri, winter tourism in North Iceland is on the rise. In a new series of "Tourism Matters", we talk with people who work in tourism in North Iceland, discover the impact of direct flights to Akureyri, why they work in tourism and the interaction between their company and the local community.
"We have already looked into it and talked to our guests to see where they come from. We have seen guests who arrived with easyJet, and it really makes us happy to see it and that the flights are bringing new visitors because we have a lot of potential with these flights," says Ragnhildur.
According to her, the potential for winter tourism is great. Marketing is vital, and the Mývatn Nature Baths have been preparing for these flights.
"We have all these day tours here, snowmobiles, cross-country skiing, snowshoe walks, dogsled, super jeeps and of course, the Nature Baths. These are great winter activities which we could use more of. We can offer so much to our visitors in wintertime, and it shows how happy they are when they arrive. The happiness shines through, and they don't mind coming to the baths in the freezing cold. It's just as enjoyable as taking a bath during summertime. It's even more special in the winter - and then they also experience the Northern Lights," says Ragnhildur.
"We have been preparing for increased international flights with marketing to those areas and markets from which the flights are coming. We have seen that it gives good results, so that's our main emphasis now. This direct marketing to those areas."
Ragnhildur has worked in tourism for a long time and says the local community is vital to the Mývatn Nature Baths.
"I'm in tourism because I've had an interest in it since I was a teenager and quit the dairy farm jobs at home for tourism jobs. I really like it, and I enjoy showing visitors this beautiful country. It's also great to be able to do a job that I really like and have interest in, in the area that I want to live in," Ragnhildur says.
"The Nature Baths does a fair share of supporting various events and clubs locally. For example, the Mývatn Marathon, the Yule Lads in Dimmuborgir, sports clubs, schools, etc. We can boil it down to bingo prizes and more. We care about our community. We want to strengthen it and give back to it. We wouldn't be here if this local community wasn't here."