Icelandic Tourism Research Centre / Rannsóknamiðstöð ferðamála

What Icelandic Tourism Research Centre / Rannsóknamiðstöð ferðamála does

Icelandic Tourism Research Centre (Rannsóknamiðstöð ferðamála, RMF / ITRC) is a non-commercial, university-affiliated research collaboration founded in 1999 and headquartered in Akureyri, Iceland, with a secondary office in Reykjavík. It operates as a joint initiative of three Icelandic universities — University of Iceland, University of Akureyri (its primary host institution), and Hólar University — with board representation from the Icelandic Tourist Board (Ferðamálastofa) and the Icelandic Tourism Association (SAF). The center's mandate is to strengthen tourism research in Iceland and the broader Nordic/Arctic region, link academia with the tourism industry, and disseminate knowledge through publications, conferences, and consultation.

RMF's core outputs are academic in nature rather than technology products: it maintains the ArcTour - Journal of Arctic Tourism (an open-access peer-reviewed journal published with the three universities and the Icelandic Tourist Board); produces the ITRC Reports series (over 144 research reports published between 2001 and 2026 covering visitor behavior, destination management, sustainable tourism, and economic impacts); and convenes the Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research, which it is hosting for the 5th time as the 34th edition (NS34) in Reykjavík on 6–8 October 2026. Recent additions include a special issue of ArcTour on regenerative tourism in Arctic geographies and participation in the EU Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic CIRCULATOUR project on circular tourism solutions. The organization runs on a small staff of 6 employees and is funded through research grants (including EU Interreg NPA), institutional support from its university partners, and modest event-related fees such as NS34 conference registration (early bird 86,000 ISK; regular 103,000 ISK; PhD tiers at 50,000–70,000 ISK).

Name

Icelandic Tourism Research Centre / Rannsóknamiðstöð ferðamála

Legal name

Rannsóknamiðstöð ferðamála (RMF)

Website

https://rmf.is

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rannsóknamiðstöð ferðamála (Icelandic Tourism Research Centre) is a non-commercial research collaboration among three Icelandic universities and two national tourism bodies, producing tourism research reports, the ArcTour academic journal, and the Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research for Icelandic and Nordic tourism stakeholders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Akureyri

HQ country

Iceland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Icelandic Tourism Research Centre (RMF/ITRC) is a university-affiliated research center that conducts academic research on Icelandic and Nordic/Arctic tourism and disseminates findings through peer-reviewed publications, research reports, and academic conferences. It operates as a collaboration between three Icelandic universities (University of Iceland, University of Akureyri, and Hólar University) with board representation from the Icelandic Tourist Board and the Icelandic Tourism Association. Its core outputs are the ArcTour - Journal of Arctic Tourism, the ITRC research reports series, and the Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research (NS34 in 2026).

Product overview

The Icelandic Tourism Research Centre (ITRC/RMF) is an academic research center, not a software product company. Its offerings consist of academic research publications, an Arctic tourism journal (ArcTour), an annual Nordic tourism research conference (NS34), and student awards. These are interconnected: the ArcTour journal publishes research findings from ITRC Reports, the NS34 conference disseminates and discusses research, and student awards recognize academic contributions to the field. The organization facilitates knowledge exchange between universities (University of Iceland, Hólar University, University of Akureyri) and the tourism industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ArcTour - Journal of Arctic Tourism: Academic journal on tourism and tourism research in the Arctic region, published by ITRC in collaboration with Icelandic universities and the Icelandic Tourist Board.

Products and services

• ArcTour - Journal of Arctic Tourism Peer-reviewed open-access academic journal on tourism research in the Arctic region, published by RMF in collaboration with the University of Iceland, Hólar University, the University of Akureyri, and the Icelandic Tourist Board. Authors submit papers via the journal's submission portal and readers access published material free of charge.
• NS34 - Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research International tourism research conference organized by RMF. The 34th symposium is held in Reykjavík 6–8 October 2026 with the theme 'Tourism in a Changing World: An Active Agent for Good?'. Registration is tiered: early bird 86,000 ISK, PhD student 50,000 ISK, PhD student + PhD course 60,000 ISK; regular fees from 7 July at 103,000 / 60,000 / 70,000 ISK. Optional tours include Hvammsvík Hot Springs (21,900 ISK) and Golden Circle (22,900 ISK).
• ITRC Reports (Skýrslur RMF) Collection of research reports and publications covering various aspects of Icelandic and Nordic tourism including economic impacts, visitor surveys, destination management, sustainable tourism, and tourism development studies. Over 144 reports have been published spanning 2001–2026 and are freely available for download from the RMF website.
• Regenerative Tourism Special Issue (ArcTour) Special issue of ArcTour - Journal of Arctic Tourism focused on regenerative tourism in Arctic and Nordic geographies, exploring how tourism can become regenerative in these regions.
• PhD Student Seminar PhD-level seminar for doctoral students in tourism research, held alongside RMF's research activities. The 10,000 ISK fee includes refreshments and lunch on both days.

Quantifiable outcome

• Published over 144 ITRC research reports spanning 2001–2026
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• University of Iceland (Háskóli Íslands)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Founding partner of RMF since 1999. One of three universities collaborating under the RMF partnership agreement. Contributes academic expertise in tourism studies and geography. RMF is headquartered at the University of Akureyri with operations also in Reykjavík.
• University of Akureyri (Háskólann á Akureyri)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Founding partner and primary host institution of RMF since 1999. The headquarters of RMF are located at the University of Akureyri campus in Akureyri.
• Hólar University (Háskólann á Hólum)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Founding partner of RMF since 1999. Contributes academic expertise in rural tourism and sustainability. One of three universities in the RMF collaboration agreement.
• Icelandic Tourist Board (Ferðamálastofa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesignates a board representative to RMF's governing board. Collaborates with RMF on tourism research, visitor surveys, and industry reports. Listed as a collaborator on the ArcTour journal.
• Icelandic Tourism Association (SAF - Samtök ferðaþjónustunnar)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesignates a board representative to RMF's governing board. Represents the Icelandic tourism industry and facilitates industry-academia collaboration through RMF.
• European Union Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) ProgrammemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRMF is participating in the CIRCULATOUR project, funded by the EU Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic programme. The project explores circular solutions in tourism, investigating how tourism can give back more than it takes from destinations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Phocuswright: Global travel industry research and events company producing tourism market intelligence, trend reports, and conferences. Comparable as a tourism-focused research and conference organization, though commercial rather than academic in nature.
• Centre for Regional and Tourism Research (CRT), Denmark: Danish research center conducting applied tourism research, visitor studies, and sustainability analysis for destinations. Closest institutional analog to RMF in a neighboring Nordic country, with a similar mandate linking academic research and tourism industry/policy needs.
• ETOUR (Mid Sweden University): Swedish university-based tourism research group focused on experience production, sustainable tourism, and destination development. Comparable in being a university-affiliated research unit producing academic publications and applied tourism studies for Nordic contexts.

Regional players

• Innovation Norway: Norwegian government agency supporting tourism industry development including research, statistics, and trend analysis for Norwegian tourism. Comparable in producing tourism market intelligence and supporting policy/industry decision-making in a neighboring Nordic market.
• Visit Denmark: Danish national tourism organization conducting tourism research, visitor surveys, and market analysis. Comparable as a national body producing tourism evidence and insights for a Nordic destination market.
• Visit Greenland: Greenland's national tourism organization producing tourism research, market analysis, and visitor statistics for an Arctic destination. Comparable as an Arctic tourism research and promotion organization serving a small Nordic/Greenlandic market.

Broad incumbents

• UNWTO (World Tourism Organization): United Nations agency producing international tourism statistics, research, and policy guidance. Comparable as a global producer of tourism research and policy-relevant publications, though vastly broader in scope.
• Tourism Economics (Oxford Economics): Major tourism forecasting and economic impact research firm serving global clients. Comparable in producing tourism economic-impact studies and forecasting, but at much larger scale and with a commercial client base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/rannsoknamidstod
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icelandic-tourism-research-centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Icelandic Tourism Research Centre / Rannsóknamiðstöð ferðamála