Author: Örvar B. Eiríksson

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Work with the seal research department this summer

Seal

Are you studying nature science at the university level in Iceland and are interested in seal research?

In cooperation with the Seal research department at the Icelandic seal center, the marine and freshwater institute is looking for an assistant to work with us in Hvammstangi, NW Iceland this summer. The work will include research and analysis of seal behavior and abundance in important haul-out sites in Northwest Iceland. The assistant will take part in fieldwork and analysis under the supervision of a specialist from the institute. The project aims to increase our knowledge of seal behavior in the haul-out and what factors are affecting the seals, such as anthropogenic disturbance, weather factors, etc. Such knowledge is important for example when developing population models and for the management of the seal populations in Iceland. The project leader is Sandra M. Granquist, whom you are welcome to contact if you have questions (sandra@hafro.is).
The position is taking place from 1 June- 15 August and the application deadline is 22 May.

More information, as well as the application form, can be found here:

https://form.vinnumalastofnun.is/sumarstorf/jobsview.aspx?pk_job_id=5345

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Gauja Hlín New Chair of NW Tourism Alliance

The North West Iceland Tourism Alliance elected Gauja Hlín as chair at its recent AGM.

Gauja is a tourism graduate from Hólar University College, and Manager of the travel agency Seal Travel; a subsidiary of the Icelandic Seal Centre.

We offer Gauja our best wishes in her new role.

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Vistor numbers Q1 2018 down 14%

The tourist information centre for Hunathing vestra at the Icelandic Seal Centre welcomed 1679 guests during the first three months of 2018. For the same quarter (Q1) in 2017 we welcomed 1958 guests. This is a Year-on-Year (YoY) 14% decrease in visitation.

Number of tickets sold to the museum also decreased in Q1 2018, by 10% YoY.

Decreases in visitation occurred in all 3 months, with January down 17%, February down 16%, and March down 13%. The decrease in visitation is partially explained by bad weather in January and February, as mountain passes to the North were frequently impassable, but this was not the case in March.

Q1 and Q4 is where the fewest visitors come to the centre, so this decrease does not have much significance to our total number of guests for the year – but these numbers may provide an indication of a cooling of the tourism sector in peripheral regions.

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Visitors 2017

At the end of the year, it is time for a little retrospective. In 2017 the Húnaþing vestra Visitor Information Centre here at the Icelandic Seal Centre welcomed a total number of 42,481 guests in 2017. This is an 8% year-on-year (YoY) increase, and represents a significant softening of visitor number growth, as 2016 YoY growth was 44%, and 2015 YoY growth was 35%. In and of itself, a lesser growth in sheer numbers is not particularly concerning, but what is of concern is the 29% YoY decrease in turnover that the Seal Centre experienced last year according to our provisional numbers.

 

13,417 guests paid to visit our museum, which is a 12% increase YoY, and we are delighted that the number of visitors paying to enter the museum grew faster than the number of guests to the visitor centre – although, it must be noted that the aforementioned decrease in turnover occurred in spite of this increase in museum visits, it is therefore safe to say that in 2017 travellers clutched their purses tightly, when it came to leisure activities and souvenir shopping, at least.