The last few years have been particularly bad PR-wise for Iceland. The financial crisis, which made international headlines when the three major banks in the country collapsed at the end of 2008, has done much to tarnish Iceland’s credibility on the international scene. The Icesave dispute has increased tension on relations between the Iceland, the UK and the Netherlands. And then there’s a certain volcano.

Vísir reports that according to British newspaper The Guardian, these factors have contributed to Iceland ranking second from bottom on a list of favourite holiday destinations for Brits. Iceland was beaten to the bottom spot by one other country that’s struggling financially at the moment: Greece. Around 9% of respondents said that they wouldn’t want to travel to Iceland, whereas around 13% of those asked said they would be unwilling to go to Greece.

Brits said that due to the uncertainty following the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull and the industrial action surrounding the national carrier British Airways, whose staff frequently strike, Iceland came low on their list of top holiday destinations. Many of those surveyed said that they were planning on taking domestic holidays this year.

Source: visir.is via IcelandReview

Labels: Holidays, Surveys, UK