Wednesday’s total solar eclipse over Iceland and Spain sparking a surge in travel demand, overtourism concerns, and hope for a permanent shakeup to where, and when, tourists show up.
Flight bookings for Santander, Asturias, and Bilbao — all located along Spain’s northern coast — were up more than 90% from last year, according to Amadeus Travel Intelligence.
For Iceland, which had less space for occupancy growth, the surge was mostly found in rates. Reykjavík’s hotel room prices roughly doubled from last year while short-term rental prices were up 178%, according to a July report from Lighthouse.
Both countries saw the eclipse as an opportunity to draw tourist attention away from its most crowded destinations.
Tourism leaders in Iceland said they hoped the eclipse would help attract tourism further out from Reykjavík during non-peak travel seasons. Spain is also leaning on eclipse events to promote itself as a leading astrotourism destination that can draw tourists away from the Mediterranean coast, which has seen some of the most pressure from overtourism.
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