ICELANDIC TOURIST BOARD                                                                         DATELINE AUGUST 2009

It’s not all gloom and doom in the travel industry. While the concept of the “staycation” vacation seems attractive to some, those consumed by wanderlust are still finding a way to discover the world. Travel to Iceland from North America was actually up seven percent through June, versus the same period last year. We must be doing something right. We’re guessing Iceland has moved up on the bucket list because of its close proximity (closer to the Northeast U.S. than Las Vegas), favorable exchange rate, and well, a lot better-tasting fish, water and lamb than Nantucket (plus you don’t have to smear yourself with sticky suntan lotion).

What’s more, in a list compiled by Forbes.com of “Fifteen Cheap Countries to See in the Recession,” Iceland ranked well within the top 15.

The story explains, “Once in Iceland's capital, a beer in a swanky downtown bar is about $5 … It's not exactly cheap, but the dollar goes twice as far in Reykjavik as it does in Europe's cosmopolitan capitals like London and Moscow.” (Read the entire story here: http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/15/cheap-travel-recession-lifestyle-travel-cheap-countries.html)

We’ll drink to that. But there are loads of reasons to visit Iceland this fall, starting in September when the peak travel season ends and shoulder season prices offer even greater travel deals. Tired of the hazy, hot and humid weather back home? Here are a few adventurous activities to consider where the weather is cool and crisp.

WELCOME REYKJAVIK CARD OPENS DOORS

Visit Reykjavík introduces an even better way to enjoy the best the city has to offer. Available for 24-, 48- or 72-hours and offering great value for the money, the new and improved Reykjavík Welcome Card now offers more discounts at restaurants, shops and tours, in addition to free admission to the following attractions and services:

All Reykjavík thermal pools
Bus transport in the Reykjavík Capital Area
National Museum of Iceland
The Settlement Exhibition Reykjavík 871 +/- 2
Reykjavík City Museum - Arbaer Museum
The Culture House
Reykjavík Family Park and Zoo
Reykjavík Maritime Museum
Ferry to Videy Island
Free internet access at the Centre

For more information on the Reykjavík Welcome Card click here.

Tags: Reykjavik, Museums, Family Park, internet

EXPERIENCE THE ICELAND AIR FORCE – ICELAND AIRWAVES RETURNS OCT. 14-18

What started as a showcase for local DJ’s has evolved into a musical force to be reckoned with. Iceland Airwaves is a full-blown, international music festival that showcases the hottest new bands from Iceland and the rest of the world. The festival attracts thousands of people each year to sample the freshest sounds from Iceland and abroad. The festival will maintain the same format as previous years with approximately 150 artists performing in various venues around downtown Reykjavik.

As before, Icelandair will extensively market the festival internationally and sell package tours to the event (see below). The interest of the international music media in the festival has been steadily increasing, and this year many new faces are expected to join an already established group of regulars. Dates are Oct. 14-18. (For more information: www.icelandairwaves.com).

Tags: music, festival, airwaves, art, Reykjavik
THAT’S A WRAP – REYKJAVIK FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS SEPT. 17-27

The Reykjavik International Film Festival (RIFF) holds a unique position among the world’s film festivals. Catch the cream of recent festival films, see dozens of amazing flicks from the world’s youngest and most talented directors, meet foreign film pioneers and, if you’re lucky, see the shimmering Northern Lights. RIFF is focused on becoming a fountain of knowledge for Icelandic film culture and film studies. Dates are Sept. 17-27. In addition to screenings in Reykjavik, this year the RIFF will go around Iceland and show the festival's best movies in beautiful cinemas around Iceland's small towns and villages. Want to be a volunteer at the event? Log onto www.riff.is for an application and more festival details.

Tags:film, festival, movies
BUENOS AIRES OF THE NORTH WELCOMES TANGO FESTIVAL, AUG. 26-30

We can think of no activity more incongruous than attending a Tango Festival in Iceland. But when you think about it, why not? While the Vikings weren’t exactly known for their fancy footwork, TANGO ON ICEland turns the country into the Buenos Aires of the North thanks to presentations by internationally renowned dance teachers. Enjoy workshops, tango bands, tango shows and Milonga until daybreak. Dates are Aug. 26-30. Venues are the Nordic House, Kjarvalsstadir, Kramhusid, Idno and the Blue Lagoon. Bring a friend: it takes two to tango. (For more information: www.tango.is).

Tags:Tango , festival , dance

ICEBERGS: UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

When you think summer vacation, perhaps hats, gloves and life jackets may not be what immediately comes to mind. That’s because you haven’t experienced summer until you’ve done it Iceland style, under the midnight sun.

Now through Sept. 15 you can explore a Glacier Lagoon (Jökulsárlón) full of icebergs and smaller bergy bits that have broken off a glacier located just off Highway No. 1, about 210 miles east of Reykjavik.

A company called Jökulsárlón offers fascinating amphibian boat trips that motor among icebergs. The 40-min. trip is a popular summer attraction, offering what is widely regarded as the most picturesque scenery in all of south Iceland. Look vaguely familiar? It was the scene for some action footage in the James Bond film, Die Another Day.

Our favorite part is when they snag a 1,000-year-old piece of fresh glacier ice, break it into chunks, and invite passengers to taste water that was around during the days of the Vikings. Skoal! (For more information: www.jokulsarlon.is).

Tags: glacier , boat tours , lagoon

MUGISON PLAYS FIVE FREE NYC SHOWS IN ONE DAY!

Icelandic music sensation Mugison will play one free concert in each of New York’s five boroughs in one day, August 18th. This ambitious set of shows is in partnership with Amnesty International to create awareness and support for the pioneering worldwide human rights advocacy group. This unique music event takes place August 18th and should not be missed.

"If you dumped blues, power pop, psych rock and heavy metal into a transmogrifying machine, the machine would rumble mysteriously, then spit out a brightly colored block of a hitherto unimagined polymer known as Mugison." - Paste Magazine

Tuesday August 18 Show Schedule
12:00pm Staten Island Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art
2:00pm Queens The Silent Barn
5:00pm Bronx The Bronx River Art Cultural Center
8:00pm Manhattan TBA (for more information: www.thefmly.com)
11:00pm Brooklyn Pete's Candy Store

For more information visit www.mugison.com and www.amnesty.org.

Tags:music , New York , concert

FIVE COUNTRIES – ONE WEB DESTINATION!

GoScandinavia.com has re-launched its popular web portal site serving the five Nordic Countries – Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Better looking, more comprehensive and easier to use, the new site has an expanded list of leisure tour operators selling Scandinavia, a new travelers FAQ section, a dedicated News section and handy links you can use to order brochures from all five countries. Now visitors can plan itineraries, book accommodations and find the inspiration they seek to plan their travels to Scandinavia.

Exploring the countries of Scandinavia while stopping in Iceland is easy and fun. You can stop for up to 7 nights in Iceland on your way to Scandinavia and pay “no additional airfare” when flying Icelandair.

For more information on the countries of Scandinavia visit: www.GoScandinavia.com For more information on air travel visit: www.icelandair.com

Tags: scandinavia , travel , accommodations , itineraries

THEY SAID IT

“A stopover in Iceland on the way to or from Greenland has become more and more popular – and convenient. The cosmopolitan capital city of Reykjavik provides a complete contrast to anywhere in Greenland, while nearby outdoor-oriented excursions – including the famed Blue Lagoon, waterfalls, geysers and more – make for an easy add-on combination.”

– Lynn Seldon, AAA Home & Away Magazine, July/Aug 2009

“I got to bed 1:55 a.m. It was still daylight, and sunrise is 2:20. And you're grateful because there's more ability to explore this extravagant countryside. Places like Thorsmork. Gullfoss, Thingvellir, Suourlandsvegi. It's geysers exploding from deep down in Mother Earth every 10 minutes, miles and miles of glaciers on which one snowmobiles. There are mountains, craters, crevasses, lakes, fjords, waterfalls and driving through land that looks as it might have since the day molten lava originally formed it. This lunarlike terrain is where our astronauts trained to walk on the moon. You can drive for hours and still not one deli, Chinese restaurant or bike messenger.

The entire nation has a few more than 300,000 people. Everyone's tall. They're Vikings. And everything's green. Homes are heated from steam rising from the depths, and 95 percent of the country's hot water comes from its hot springs. Energy is cheap.”

– Celebrity columnist Cindy Adams, New York Post, July 9 (read the entire story here: http://www.nypost.com/seven/07092009/gossip/cindy/iceland_beckons_and_i_become_bait_178262.htm?&page;=0)

“Rumors of the dollar's collapse have been greatly exaggerated – at least for now. In fact, the greenback has risen against many foreign currencies, making overseas travel cheaper. Couple that with a weakened travel industry offering big deals in airfares and hotel rates and you have a nice selection of overseas vacations at bargain prices. But given record deficits and a still-shaky economy, the dollar might not hold up long. So get abroad while the getting's good.”

Iceland is one of eight recommended destinations this summer:

“Recent financial distress (in Iceland) has ravaged the value of Iceland's krona. Over the past year, the dollar's value has gone up nearly 60% against the local currency.

“Icelandair, the country's airline, is even giving away visits to its homeland. If you take the airline for trips to or from any country in Europe, you're invited to stop over in Iceland for as long as you want at no additional charge. (See www.icelandair.us for details.) If you'd like to make Iceland your only destination, the airline's also offering discounted getaways through October for round-trip flights and hotel stays of at least two nights.”

– Stacy Rapacon, Kiplinger.com (read the entire story here: http://ww2.7online.com/Global/story.asp?S=10777486)

Tags: Blue Lagoon , countryside , value


TRAVEL DEALS OF THE MONTH

Iceland Airwaves 2009

Every October, Reykjavik rocks loudest of all. Hear the hottest bands from Iceland, Europe, the Americas and beyond in the coolest setting on Earth. The intimate venues are all in the downtown area, so you can hop from one performance to the next. Many bands are already confirmed for the show, and include: Gus Gus, Alaska In Winter, Mammút, The Cocknbullkid, The Golden Filter, Metronomy, and more. For more information on the event and scheduled performers visit icelandairwaves.com.

Festival Dates: October 14-18, 2009 From $749* per person based on double occupancy.

Click here for more info.

There’s Still Time For Summer Saver Fares

Save on airfare to Iceland and Europe late this summer with these awesome summer fares. Be sure to check out Iceland Stopovers – the chance to stopover in Iceland, our stunningly beautiful home, en route to or from other destinations in Europe... at no additional airfare! Here are some sample fares:

Travel from Seattle to Reykjavik from $569*, or London from $629*, August 22 - September 12, 2009

Travel from Boston to Copenhagen from $479*, London from $499*, or Oslo from $479* August 16 - September 11, 2009.

Travel from New York-JFK to Copenhagen from $479* August 16 - September 11, 2009.

More deals, including fares to other cities, are available. Click here for more info.

Fall Budget Getaway

Take advantage of the great exchange rate and hop on up to the top of the world this fall, a great time to experience all that Iceland has to offer. Enjoy shopping for quality Icelandic products, early Christmas shopping, delicious gourmet Icelandic cuisine (including Icelandic game, popular during November), invigorating outdoor adventure, highland wilderness beauty, soothing spas and more. Your accommodation is at the friendly Fosshotel Lind or Fosshotel Baron. Both are situated in the historic city center and offer three star amenities. They make an ideal base for exploring Southern Iceland. Please note all nights must be booked at the same hotel. From $499* per person based on double occupancy.

Click here for more info.

Tags: Airwaves , Reykjavik , stopover , budget

*Prices quoted are exclusive of applicable taxes and official charges by destination of approximately $100-$270, per person including the Sept. 11th Security Fee.

For Dateline readers who have not yet ordered their free 2009 Visit Iceland brochure, order here.

Foward to a friend

For information on other exciting activities in Iceland, be sure to visit:

If you wish to unsubscribe click here.