In June 2010, the Inspired by Iceland tourism campaign was kick started after visitor numbers dropped significantly due to the volcanic eruption in April 2010. The aim of the campaign was to boost the positive image of the country in order to encourage people to visit again.
Today, the Inspired by Iceland campaign is still running strong with the main focus being to showcase Iceland’s many unique and appealing attributes by allowing individuals to share their stories and memories of the country. In addition to this, Inspired by Iceland also organises many events across the country, showcasing Iceland’s culture and natural beauty.
‘Iceland Hour’, the first event to organised by Inspired by Iceland, involved the whole nation leaving messages online, welcoming and encouraging the world to experience Iceland for themselves. Over 1 million messages and e-cards were sent and the Inspired by Iceland promotional video was downloaded over 1 million times, proving the event to be extremely successful.
The ‘Iceland Inspires’ concert, which took place in downtown Reykjavik on 1st July 2010, was also a very successful event. The open-air concert, which featured Damien Rice, was streamed live over the Internet, giving viewers the chance to watch the event from anywhere in the world. The concert proved to be a huge success with over ninety thousand visits from fifty-two countries tuning in through Inspired by Iceland’s website.
Due to the campaign’s success, Inspired by Iceland won the ICCA Awards 2010, which recognises the excellence and outstanding achievements of organisations in their effort to market their destination or product. The campaign was also nominated for a Global Effie Award, as well as being nominated for two awards at the European Excellence Awards.
Inspired by Iceland’s success quickly attracted global media attention for the country with USA TODAY voting Iceland as a top travel destination for 2011, and Lonely Planet listing Iceland’s Westfjords as one of its ‘Top 10 regions to travel for 2011’. In addition, CNN’s travel website, CNNGO featured Reykjavik as the top holiday destination for Christmas 2010.
Furthermore, with the recent opening of HARPA, the Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre, the Icelandic nation doesn’t show any signs of slowing down and with this, the Inspired by Iceland campaign continues to grow; 2011 looks set to be another prosperous year for Iceland tourism.
Visit www.inspiredbyiceland.com to learn more about the Inspired by Iceland campaign or follow on Twitter and Facebook.
