DUBAI: Iceland’s fourteen-fold increase in tourist arrivals in May compared to a year earlier highlights the extent of pent up demand for travel and could provide lessons for other emerging economies, according to research group Tellimer.
Similar to Dubai around the turn of the year, Iceland is currently demonstrating the pent-up demand for tourism, Tellimer said in a strategy note on Tuesday.
“I can attest to the unpleasant experience of spending 11 nights in a UK government quarantine hotel. I traveled from the UAE, which is a “red list” country despite doing a much better job of managing Covid than many on the UK’s “amber list,” and despite being personally very fortunate, by global standards, to have two doses of the Pfizer vaccine by virtue of being a Dubai resident,” said report author Hasnain Mailk. “If I had more time the route I might have taken would have been to spend ten days in Iceland, which is on the UK’s ‘green list.’”
Proof of vaccine means tourists can enter Iceland, take a free PCR test on arrival, and start their holiday with minimum fuss.
“Iceland, like other tourism destinations, is doing whatever it takes to re-open, but, of course, the resumption of tourism also requires a cooperative, competent, and unbiased policy from the country of a visitor’s origin or ultimate destination,” said Malik. “In the last two months, Iceland is providing an example of how vast the pent-up demand is for international tourism. It follows a similar experience in Dubai around the turn of the year. It remains to be seen whether there is a similar spike in infections as seen in Dubai (which subsequently moderated).”
Dubai, which has been urging UK authorities to ease travel restrictions to the emirate, is traditionally a popular destination for British holidaymakers.
Britain is working on easing travel restrictions for fully vaccinated people to allow them to take a summer holiday, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Tuesday. However the plans are not yet finalized.
