Tourism in Iceland

This situation lasted until the turn of the century, when the annual number of visitors exceeded the total resident population for the first time, at around 300,000.

[5][6] In 2015, this rapid increase has continued, with the number of foreign visitors already exceeding 1 million in the period January to October.

[10] As of year 2014, Iceland's largest tourism markets comprises tourists from Central/South Europe, followed by those from other regions: North America, the UK, then the Nordic countries.

[10] Overtourism in Iceland is a result of both the huge rise in visitor arrivals, and their concentration in a small area of the country.

Over 98% of visitors to Iceland come through Keflavik,[11] just 45 minutes from Reykjavik, with many using the city as a short stopover on a transatlantic flight and restricting their travel to popular nearby sites like the Blue Lagoon and the Golden Circle.