With the news that Iceland is planning to start easing restrictions on international arrivals no later than June 15, Hidden Iceland will be relaunching its most popular tours.
Ryan Connolly, marketing manager & co-owner of Hidden Iceland, notes that one of the main benefits of Iceland being the first to reopen is that the most popular spots like the Golden Circle and South Coast of the country “will be a ghost town. To hike on a glacier and be the only ones as far as the eye can see is something the Hidden Iceland team are looking forward to very much.”
At the moment, Hidden Iceland is offering 30 percent discount on any scheduled trip bookings with the discount code: TRAVELLATER. Agent bookings will receive normal commission on top of this. “With the exchange rate at its weakest in years,” says Connolly, “against the USD, the savings are extensive for 2020 and probably 2021, too.”
For Connolly, “Iceland appears to be a safe haven this summer. There have been just a handful of new cases in the entire month of May with no one in hospital. And since every person who arrives will be tested, there is no expectation of a resurgence. Saying that, we always suggest erring on the side of caution. If you are considered a vulnerable person or over a certain age then perhaps it’s worth waiting just a little longer before choosing to travel internationally. One thing is for sure, if your clients do come to Iceland, they’ll will be safe once they are here. Our small group tours that go off the beaten path are perfect for social distancing-style trips. Families and young adventurers are likely the type of people that will travel this year more than others.”
Connolly points to the company’s 3-day Essential South Iceland private itinerary along the south coast and into the Golden Circle as a perfect itinerary in a post COVID-19 world. It is a combination of the most popular spots in Iceland and going off the beaten path. “With the crowds disappearing from Iceland this year even the powerful Gullfoss waterfall will be crowd-free for the first time in years. Couple that with glacier exploration in the southeast and basking in the midnight sun on a secluded farm hotel and you can see why people will be keen to choose this as a social distancing trip.” Or, perhaps clients want to wait until winter to visit a European destination. If so, the abovementioned tour be converted to include ice cave exploration, Northern Lights hunting and even snowmobiling if they are willing to add on an extra day.
“So far bookings are extremely low for any time in 2020,” notes Connolly, “but the enquiries we are getting for future planned trips are starting to rise again, thankfully. This has mainly been from solo travelers and families to date. The one thing we are noticing is that private trip requests are on the rise. Avoiding unnecessary interactions with bigger groups is a common request now. As is going off the beaten path.”
Hidden Iceland is providing a flexible re-book policy. If your clients book for this summer and something gets in the way, then they can reschedule to a future date without any fees. The same goes for booking far in advance.
For more information, visit hiddeniceland.is. For more future booking inspirations, visit #AmazingDaysAhead.
