Inspired by Iceland has been encouraging people to visit Iceland since June 2010, just after visitor numbers dropped significantly due to the Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption in April 2010. The campaign has organised many events across the country, showcasing Iceland’s culture and natural beauty, as well as allowing individuals to share their stories and memories.

The first event organised by Inspired by Iceland, ‘Iceland Hour’ involved the whole nation leaving messages online, welcoming and encouraging the world to experience Iceland for themselves. Over 1 million messages and e-cards were sent and the Inspired by Iceland promotional video was downloaded over 1 million times, proving the event to be extremely successful.

On 1st July 2010, the ‘Iceland Inspires’ concert, which took place in downtown Reykjavik, was also a very successful event. The open-air concert, which featured Damien Rice, was streamed live over the Internet, giving viewers the chance to watch the event from anywhere in the world. The concert proved to be a huge success with over ninety thousand visits from fifty-two countries tuning in through Inspired by Iceland’s website.

As a result of the campaign’s success, Inspired by Iceland won the ICCA Awards 2010, which recognises the excellence and outstanding achievements of organisations in their effort to market their destination or product. The campaign was also nominated for a Global Effie Award, as well as being nominated for two awards at the European Excellence Awards.

The campaign’s success quickly attracted global media attention for the country with USA TODAY voting Iceland as a top travel destination for 2011, and Lonely Planet listing Iceland’s Westfjords as one of its ‘Top 10 regions to travel for 2011’. In addition, CNN’s travel website, CNNGO featured Reykjavik as the top holiday destination for Christmas 2010.

Further details regarding Inspired by Iceland and tourism in Iceland can be found at www.inspiredbyiceland.com. Moreover, for up-to-date information about the campaign and events in Iceland, follow on Twitter and Facebook.

The proposed health care centre will specialise in fat-removal and joint replacements, amongst other medical treatments. The centre will also have to capability of treating up to 4,000 patients per year, housing around 35 hospital beds and three operating theatres.

“The project is definitely one of the most exciting innovative ventures in Iceland at the present time. It will constitute an important aspect of the build-up and development at Asbru. The cluster of health-related services at Asbru will be strengthened through the operations of the hospital, and this will attract even more diverse companies involved in medicine, treatment, health-promotion, research, education and the production of various health-related products, to name a few,”
commented Kjartan Thor Eiriksson, Managing Director of Kadeco.

Due to the Enterprise Park’s close proximity to Iceland’s International Airport, the location proves to be ideal for the new health care centre. This medical tourism venture is set be a precious source of income for Iceland, Iceland tourism and the Icelandic people, as up to 300 jobs are expected to be available throughout the project.

To find out more information on health care advancements in Iceland and medical tourism visit www.asbru.is/english/