Government backs nation to come together in one hour online invitation to rest of the world to visit Iceland
In a world first, the entire nation of Iceland is to gather together online to show the world their country is open for business, open for excitement and open to inspire the world. Backed by the Government of Iceland, the 320,000 inhabitants of the world’s most northern nation will go online and send messages about what they love most about Iceland to friends around the globe. This momentous event will take place for one hour on June 3 at 1400-1500 GMT (1300-1400 Icelandic time)
Iceland visitor numbers have dropped since the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano and the marketing campaign ‘Inspired By Iceland’ is intended to help kick-start the Icelandic tourism summer and to inspire people from around Europe to visit this magnificent country.
Iceland hour is not just for Icelanders and is open to those people from around the world who have been inspired by the country and who would like to get involved. Fans can simply go to www.inspiredbyiceland.com and leave a message on how Iceland was an inspiration to them – whether that was scenery, music, sport or even wildlife. There are also a number of social networks that people can view and join: www.facebook.com/inspiredbyiceland, www.twitter.com/inspiredbyiceland where information and news on Iceland will constantly be available and updated.
Katrín Júlíusdóttir, Minister of Industry of Iceland, commented, “We believe Iceland is a country that can inspire everyone who comes here. The stunning geography and wonderful scenery, the warmth and kindness of the people, the unique culture and accessibility of Iceland all go towards making our country a great place to visit – we want the world to know that.”
The Inspired By Iceland campaign hopes to dispel a number of myths about the country that have arisen since the volcano eruption:
Only a small percentage of the country has been effected by the ash
Flights to Iceland are running efficiently
The infrastructure of all operations is completely intact
The average price for hotels, drinks, car hire etc is no more than any European country
Yoko Ono, a long time fan of Iceland urged people to back the campaign on Twitter and her blog, whilst a number of names from the world of music and entertainment are also hoping to give the campaign their backing
A live webcast in English during Iceland hour will be shown on www.inspiredbyiceland.com to give the rest of the world the chance to look at and see how the Iceland hour is going. Many famous Icelandic stars and other luminaries (the president and minister of Tourism) will speak and talk about how now is the time to visit Iceland
