What Visit North Iceland does

Visit North Iceland is the official regional destination marketing organization (DMO) for North Iceland, founded in 2003 and headquartered in Akureyri. The organization promotes tourism across 18+ towns and communities in the region, including Akureyri (regional capital), Húsavík (whale-watching capital), Mývatn, Siglufjörður, Dalvík, and others. It serves two primary constituencies: international tourism visitors seeking nature-based Arctic experiences, and local tourism operators/members who benefit from joint regional marketing and trade distribution. The organization is led by Managing Director Arnheiður Jóhannsdóttir and operates with a small team of 8 employees across two offices in Akureyri (headquarters, Tryggvabraut 10) and Blönduós (Árbraut 31).

The organization operates a unified digital travel-guide platform at northiceland.is that integrates destination content (waterfalls, geothermal areas, national parks, towns, hiking trails), experiences listings (whale watching, northern lights tours, skiing, diving, horseback riding), an accommodation and food directory, practical travel information, an interactive map, and a B2B Travel Trade section. Two signature touring-route products anchor the offering: the Diamond Circle (Dettifoss, Goðafoss, Ásbyrgi, Húsavík) and the Arctic Coast Way, a coastal route officially launched on June 8, 2019, from Bakkafjörður to Hvammstangi. Distribution is augmented by physical tourist information centers across the region, partnerships with airlines (easyJet, Super Break) for inbound flight access, and joint marketing initiatives with national tourism bodies (Inspired By Iceland).

Visit North Iceland operates on a membership-based revenue model: tourism companies in the region pay recurring membership fees to participate in joint regional marketing affairs. The organization does not sell tours directly; instead, it functions as an aggregator and marketing intermediary, routing demand to member operators through the website and trade channels. Core technology consists of a digital content platform with tour operator listings, event calendars, and travel-planning tools; no AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. The organization's value proposition rests on the regional brand equity built through Lonely Planet's #1 European Destination (2015), TIME Magazine's Greatest Places (2019), and ongoing stewardship of flagship routes like the Arctic Coast Way and Diamond Circle.

Name

Visit North Iceland

Legal name

Visit North Iceland

Website

https://northiceland.is

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Visit North Iceland is the official regional destination marketing organization for North Iceland, founded in 2003 and headquartered in Akureyri. It operates the northiceland.is travel-guide platform and promotes tourism across 18+ towns to international visitors and member tourism operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation (487)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Culture, Heritage & Arts Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAK)

Keywords

• Destination marketing organization
• Regional tourism promotion
• Travel trade services
• Tourist route development
• Destination digital platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Akureyri

HQ country

Iceland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Visit North Iceland operates as a membership-based destination marketing organization where tourism companies in North Iceland become members and participate in joint marketing affairs for the region.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Visit North Iceland is the official regional destination marketing organization for North Iceland, promoting tourism across 18+ towns and communities. It operates a comprehensive digital travel guide platform (northiceland.is) that aggregates destinations, experiences, accommodations, and tour operators, while connecting international travelers with verified local tourism providers and supporting the regional tourism industry through marketing, branding, and travel trade partnerships.

Product overview

Visit North Iceland operates a unified travel guide portal at northiceland.is serving as the official digital destination for North Iceland tourism. The platform integrates multiple content modules including a Destinations section (nature sites, top attractions, towns, hiking trails), an Experiences module (activities spanning winter sports, water activities, outdoor adventures, culture), a Food & Accommodation directory, comprehensive Travel Info resources, interactive Map functionality, a Travel Trade B2B section, and Blog/News content. Two notable tourist route products are featured: the Diamond Circle connecting major waterfalls and the Arctic Coast Way coastal touring route launched in 2019.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Diamond Circle A premier branded tourist route in North Iceland featuring Dettifoss waterfall, Goðafoss, Ásbyrgi Canyon, and Húsavík, marketed as a signature self-drive touring experience for international visitors.
• Arctic Coast Way A scenic coastal touring route spanning the entire coastline of North Iceland from Hvammstangi in the northwest to Bakkafjörður in the northeast, launched in 2019 as a flagship tourism development project.
• Travel Trade Services A dedicated B2B service offering for travel trade partners that provides professional resources including brochures, images, brand center access, film services, and direct flight information for tour operators, travel agencies, and other tourism distributors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Named TIME Magazine's Greatest Place to Visit 2019
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Arctic Coast WaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2019Flagship tourism route project developed by Visit North Iceland spanning the entire coastline of North Iceland from Bakkafjörður to Hvammstangi. Launched on World Ocean Day 2019 with official ceremonies. Includes brown tourist signs marking the route - the first time such signs are used in Iceland.
• Diamond CirclecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2019Major tourist route featuring Dettifoss waterfall, Goðafoss, Ásbyrgi canyon, and Lake Mývatn area. Part of North Iceland's signature touring routes promoted by Visit North Iceland.
• Blue SailmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based consultancy engaged for experience development along the Arctic Coast Way, particularly food-experience development in cooperation with Matarauður Íslands.
• Matarauður ÍslandsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood experience development partner for Arctic Coast Way, with financial support spanning two years covering Blue Sail consultancy for food-experience development along the route.
• Vakinn QualitymajorOthersOfficial quality and environmental label of the Icelandic Tourist Board. Visit North Iceland promotes Vakinn-certified operators as part of its quality assurance program for visitors.
• easyJetmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDirect flight connections from Manchester to Akureyri, contributing to increased tourism accessibility. easyJet has extended its winter schedule with flights now starting three weeks earlier in October.
• Super BreakminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK travel agency offering direct flights from multiple UK cities to Akureyri, specializing in short breaks (3-4 nights). Operated flights from 11 UK locations during winter seasons.
• Inspired By IcelandmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational tourism marketing initiative. Visit North Iceland participates in joint marketing campaigns including the #AskGudmundur human search engine project.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Inspired by Iceland (Visit Iceland): The national Destination Marketing Organization for Iceland. Visit North Iceland participates in Inspired by Iceland's joint campaigns (e.g., #AskGudmundur), and they share a promotional mandate for Iceland tourism, though Inspired by Iceland operates at country scale while VNI is regional.
• Tourism New Zealand: National DMO renowned for 100% Pure brand campaign and visual content-led destination marketing. A globally recognized peer in destination storytelling, content series, and converting 'once-in-a-lifetime' nature positioning into inbound demand.
• Visit Norway: National DMO for Norway with comparable nature-based tourism assets (fjords, northern lights, scenic routes/tourist routes). Larger scale and broader portfolio, but shares the 'dramatic natural landscapes' positioning and travel-trade focus relevant to VNI.
• VisitDenmark: Nordic national DMO with a similar mix of coastline, islands, and cultural attractions. Comparable in mandate (promotion, travel trade, content) and in operating within a small, geographically constrained country.
• VisitScotland: Established national tourism organization running a comparable membership-supported model, destination website, and travel-trade program. Useful peer for benchmarking mature DMO operations, regional route promotion, and shoulder-season extension strategies.

Direct peers

• Visit Faroe Islands: National DMO for the Faroe Islands, a similarly remote North Atlantic island destination reliant on nature-based tourism (hiking, bird cliffs, scenic drives). Comparable in product narrative, target market, and digital-first destination marketing approach.
• Visit Greenland: National tourism board for Greenland, with overlapping Arctic, wilderness, glacier, and northern-lights appeal. Targets similar international nature-based traveler segments and runs a comparable digital destination platform with operator directory.
• Visit Lapland: Regional/national tourism organization for Finnish Lapland, with a heavily overlapping winter product portfolio (northern lights, snowmobiling, dogsled, ski) and similar shoulder-season strategy. Closest functional peer for VNI's winter tourism pillar.
• Visit West Iceland: Another regional Icelandic DMO with an analogous mission: aggregating operators, running a destination website, and promoting nature-based tourism. Highly comparable in scale, structure, and operator-membership model to Visit North Iceland.
• Visit South Iceland: Regional DMO covering South Iceland, operating a similar membership-driven model, marketing platform, and travel-trade distribution function. It is the most directly comparable regional peer within Iceland, splitting inbound tourist demand with VNI.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/northiceland
• Instagraminstagram.com/northiceland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northiceland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Visit North Iceland