Atlantica - 01.01.2006, Síða 72

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On April 7, Icelandair will commence flights
between Iceland and Manchester, England. Twice
a week, on Mondays and Fridays, Icelandair’s
Boeing jets accommodating 189 passengers
will service this new non-stop route.“Icelandair
realized the need for an additional gateway from
the UK to complement the existing service
from London Heathrow and Glasgow,” says Jón
Karl Ólafsson, President and CEO Icelandair.
“Bookings have been increasing from Northern
England and the Midlands – areas outside the
traditional strongholds of Southern England and
Scotland. We are convinced that the city and its
vicinity will appeal to Icelanders. Manchester
has just been named Europe’s Cultural City in
2008. It offers great shopping and the night-
life is celebrated. The Beatles’ hometown of
Liverpool is close by with a Beatles Museum
and many other interesting things to explore.
Lake District National Park is also in the area,
famous for extraordinary nature and stunning
scenery. And of course Manchester is famous
for football,” Ólafsson adds. Ticket sales have
begun at all Icelandair offices and on the web,
www.icelandair.net
There were many smiling faces at the Christmas celebration held by the Icelandair Special Children Travel Fund. The
fund is a combined effort by Icelandair and its customers to help children with long-term illnesses and children that
are victims of special circumstances.
The families who received an allocation from the Fund this year were all invited to a gathering in December at
the Nordica Hotel in Reykjavík, along with other families who had received an allocation from the Fund in the past.
There they got to know each other and shared their stories of their journeys with those who had not yet traveled.
It was a warm and enjoyable evening, and Oliver the clown was the main attraction with his incredible magic tricks.
Since its foundation in 2003, the Fund has made it possible for 55 families to travel abroad. The families are invited
on a dream journey to any one of Icelandair’s destinations, with all expenses covered by the Fund. Patron of the Fund
is Ms. Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, former President of Iceland.
The marketing partnership between the
Icelandic government and a few leading
Icelandic export firms, known as “Iceland
Naturally,” is being launched in Europe. For
five years the partnership has delivered great
results in the United States, where the brand
name Iceland Naturally has served well in
promotional campaigns for Iceland as a tourist
destination and for Icelandic products. The
effort is funded mutually by the Icelandic
government and the companies involved. It
is controlled by a board of directors and run
by the Icelandic Tourist Offices in the US and
now in Frankfurt, Germany. On both sides of
the Atlantic, Icelandair is a major partner in
Iceland Naturally.
Iceland Naturally
Comes to Europe
Manchester
Waiting
Happy Faces
at the Special
Children
Christmas
Celebration
The Iceland Food and Fun Festival 2006 will be held in
Reykjavík for the fifth time from February 22-25. The
festival is organized by Iceland Naturally, a joint venture
between Icelandair, the City of Reykjavík and Icelandic
seafood, agriculture, water and tourism leaders.
Food and Fun is an event that combines outstanding
culinary skills, fresh natural ingredients, Icelandic outdoor
adventure and the world-famous Reykjavík nightlife, to
create the ultimate recipe for fun.
The core element of the festival involves world-renowned
chefs who collaborate with Reykjavík’s best restaurants.
Together they present a special festival menu designed
by participating chefs who are on-site for three nights to
demonstrate their skills to restaurant guests.
The second element is a “cook-off” competition featur-
ing internationally acclaimed chefs from many of the best
restaurants in Europe and the United States. All chefs will
compete using Icelandic raw materials, known worldwide
for their unique, delicious and natural qualities.
Icelandair strives to present Iceland as a desirable destina-
tion for tourists from Europe and the USA, through the
marketing of Icelandic nature and culture. The Iceland
Food and Fun Festival’s popularity is ever increasing, with
20,000 people attending the “cook-off” competition and
travelers from all over the world attending to sample
Iceland’s cuisine.
“We hope that the festival will become as hugely suc-
cessful as Iceland Airwaves has been in bringing more
visitors to the country. I encourage everyone to go have
some food and a little fun in February,” says Gunnar Már
Sigurfinnsson, Icelandair SVP Marketing and Sales.
Don’t forget to check out
www.foodandfun.com
Have Some Food and Fun in February
www. i c e l a n dna t u r a l l y . c om
067 ATL106 Icelandair.indd 70 19.12.2005 10:57:26