Cruise tourism in Iceland and the North Atlantic: gateways to the Arctic and the challenges to port readiness programs.

This article details the findings of research undertaken on cruise ship operations around Iceland and in the North Atlantic in the year 2013 and until the end of the summer season 2014. The focus of the research was on the socioeconomic impact of cruise ship arrivals on small and/or peripheral destinations in Iceland, set within the context of cruise tourism development in the North Atlantic and the Arctic more broadly. The article details who can expect to receive benefits from cruise ship arrivals in a peripheral destination in Iceland. The findings demonstrate that Iceland is largely dependent on big cruise ships for the accrued benefit, yet opportunities exist for smaller harbors to cater to expedition-type vessels, vessels that are indeed doing arctic exploration, and Iceland could function as the gateway harbor, with well-developed infrastructure for these purposes.