http://www.happykatie.com

There’s a great article on PSFK about the Inspired by Iceland campaign and the reviatlization of Iceland’s tourism after the smoky eruption of Grímsvötn.

They really did it right.  In addition to my beloved Icelandic dance video, they focused inwardly on the 318,000 residents to re-invigorate their love for their home country by encouraging them to share Iceland stories on video (833 total with over a million views).

By the end of 6 weeks, over half the Icelandic population had contributed stories. In total 2 million stories were sent out through social channels, the website, and through email. Most importantly though there was a 32% shift in positive perceptions of Iceland as a tourist destination.

This led to Iceland seeing an additional 79,252 tourists visiting the country each bringing an average of £1750 in revenue. This mean the campaign was worth an additional £138.7m to Iceland.

Genius idea, getting the people that know a country best to sing, dance, shout and speak its praises.  Imagine if you were a business and had employees (and hey, clients too!) making songs about how much they love you?  Magic.

Just like Iceland