Starting January 1, 2025, Iceland’s local government imposed a new infrastructure fee of 2,500 ISK (approximately €17) for cruise passengers, leading to multiple cruise ship cancellations across the country.
The fee is expected to generate over $10m for the state; however, port officials report a decline in cruise calls, predicting an 80-call reduction this year across ports like Grundarfjörður and Akureyri.
Sigurður Jökull Ólafsson from Cruise Iceland criticized the introduction of the fee, stating it should have been implemented gradually to lessen the operational impact on the industry.
Akureyri is projected to experience 44 fewer cruise ship visits compared to the previous year, while Grundarfjörður has reported seven cancellations for 2025 and concerns from MSC Cruises about the fee’s implications for future itineraries in Iceland.
