Our two year anniversary, and the importance of connecting when travelling
Iceland Unwrapped by helgastina is two years old this October.
The reason for establishing the company here in Holland was to try to combine my interest in tourism, connecting people and my love for my home country Iceland.
As you probably know, Iceland has gained increasing attention as a tourist destination in recent years.
What I was aware of before starting the company that many of the visitors that I met on their return from Iceland were super excited to meet me, the Icelander, as they had not made much contact with the locals when in Iceland.
In a country of about 300.000 people there is need of additional work force to receive tourists sufficiently and that is why many of those working in the tourist industry in Iceland are people from abroad who know languages and are excited to be a part of the development of tourism in Iceland.
I thought that of course something more could be done to provide visitors to Iceland a connection to the Icelanders, to make the trip even more exciting and fulfilling.
In the development phase of my company, I was in contact with my Icelandic network to hear about new trends and exciting entrepreneurs working on projects aimed at connecting people together, and to give an extraordinary experience while in Iceland.
This has been my goal ever since and on my trips to Iceland in the last two years, I have been around the country visiting people who offer personal service and unique experiences.
I am very thankful for my network that has made it possible for me to develop extraordinary experiences for my customers.
Dining with the Icelanders, concerts in the homes of locals, personal guided tours based on the customers’ individual interests are some of the few things Iceland Unwrapped has discovered and developed on this path.
Did you know that Iceland Unwrapped has had a very diverse group of customers? That is the beauty of being a travel planner working with people´s interests and dreams.
Let me give you examples
Friends going on an adventure trip, a mother and daughter having a stopover in Iceland, a group of students visiting Icelandic institutions and enjoying the magic of Iceland between meetings, a group of employees invited by their company on a group building trip and a family of 5 seeking adventures, to name a few.
Did you know that you can go fishing and have your fish cooked for you in a fine restaurant after your fishing tour?
Did you know that there are 4 big international music festivals in Iceland during the year and a lot of smaller ones?
It is a privilege to learn the wishes and dreams of people wanting to go to Iceland and to connect them to the Icelanders.
It has been an amazing learning experience to start a travel company in the midst of a travel boom in Iceland. To decide that I wanted to do different things, and to focus on the personal and connecting people was a great step in offering diverse possibilities for people wanting to visit this beautiful and exotic island, Iceland.
“Meeting the Icelanders was my favorite part of the trip – in part because of the people we were able to meet, but also because that day we saw some of the most spectacular scenery. It was great to have a personal tour, to be able to learn about Iceland and connect with real people”. (Sara – USA)
I look forward to the years to come.
Helga Kristin Fridjonsdottir( Helga Stina)
Founder and owner of Iceland Unwrapped by helgastina
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