Iceland Encounter celebrates its 15th anniversary

February 2, 2024

Iceland Encounter celebrates its 15th anniversary today.

Husband-and-wife team Kristin Bjornsdottir and Erling Aspelund started the company on February 2nd, 2009, and from the beginning have focused on privately-guided adventure travel in Iceland.

“At this time, I feel incredibly grateful to our team, most of whom have been with us for years. They are all simply outstanding,” says Kristin. “Not to mention all of our wonderful friends and partners in the travel community, advisors and suppliers. At the end of the day, it’s the people and relationships that matter most.”

Iceland Encounter works exclusively with other travel agencies and is a member of the Virtuoso and Ensemble sales consortia.

“We started our business just before the volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010,” says Erling. “Many felt the eruption would spell the end of tourism in Iceland, but exactly the opposite became true. In 2009, just before the eruption, Iceland welcomed approximately half-a-million travelers. Since then, visitor numbers have increased more than fourfold, or to 2.2 million in 2023.”

“It has been an incredible ride,” says Erling, “and a lot of fun. In some ways, the volcano symbilizes what Iceland is all about: expect the unexpected and turn it into an adventure.”