Akureyri as a winter destination: The impacts on residents

Akureyri in Northern Iceland is – and has for some time been – one of Iceland’s most popular domestic winter destinations. The main objective of the research project is to explore how residents of Akureyri experience their community as a winter destination and gain insight into their ideas regarding the development of winter tourism. The project explores the residents' experience of the change that takes place when the town gets filled with domestic tourists during winter and how they view future planning and management of winter tourism in their community.

Data was collected through group interviews with residents of Akureyri and through an online survey that was sent to a sample of residents in April 2021. A report from the study is available in Icelandic.

Project managers were Eyrún Jenný Bjarnadóttir and Guðrún Þóra Gunnarsdóttir. The project is a part of their research collaboration with Dr. Georgette Leah Burns, Griffith University, Australia, and Dr. Guðrún Helgadóttir, University of Southeastern Norway. Other partners were RHA- University of Akureyri Research Center and Visit Akureyri.

The project was supported by the University of Akureyri’s Research Fund.