Mapping the travel patterns of Norröna ferry passengers in Iceland, 1991–2025

Research aimed at examining the distribution of ferry passengers across the country and to map their travel routes beyond the main tourist trails. The research is a collaborative project between Rögnvaldur Guðmundsson at Tourism Research and Consulting (RRF) and Þórný Barðadóttir at the Icelandic Tourism Research Centre (RMF).

The study involves an analysis of existing data which stems from a longitudinal series of surveys conducted by RRF between 1991 and 2015 among foreign tourists in Iceland. The research will be directed at analysing responses of ferry passengers with special attention given to their travels in two study areas off the beaten tracks of tourism. One area is the southern Westfjords and the other the Icelandic northeast.

The research builds upon previous RMF studies on drive tourism and tourism routes. RMF is also the host of the Rural Drive Tourism Research Network, a European research network focused on drive tourism in rural settings.

In the summer of 2025, new responses will be collected from ferry passengers at the port of Seyðisfjörður to enable comparison with the existing data. The updated questionnaire will place greater emphasis on self-drive tourism, incorporating new questions regarding travel along designated tourism routes.

The research is conducted with funding from the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration’s Research Fund.

RRF oversees the project while the RMF part of it is managed by Þórný Barðadóttir [thorny @ rmf.is]