The other day, Húsavík Academic Centre published a report with a summary of the main economic indicators for the Þingeyjar regions.It is interesting to examine these figures as they provide a snapshot of the development of various aspects of society over the past 10-20 years. For example, the development of unemployment in the region and a comparison with national figures. Since 2014, the development of unemployment in the Þingeyjar regions has been much more similar to the national trend than in the preceding years, when the fluctuations here were smaller than the national average. Other figures that give us a picture of the region are population trends, and in particular the number of primary school children in the Þingeyjar regions. Over the last two decades (2001-2020), the number of primary school children in the region has decreased by 41%, whereas the population decrease was only 9%. This is partly explained by the rise in the average age of the population from 35 to 41 years during the period. However, a balance has been achieved in both the number of residents and primary school children in recent years.
The tourism industry was given attention in the report, and it was interesting to see the impact of the pandemic on this sector. Overnight stays by foreign guests decreased during this period, while there was a significant increase among Icelandic guests. Whale watching continues to lead the way in the tourism industry, and passenger numbers have multiplied since its inception. Looking at whale watching across the entire country over the past 10 years, however, the share of trips in Skjálfandi has fallen somewhat, from 41% in 2011 to 28% in 2019. This is explained not by a decrease in passengers from Húsavík, but in part by an increased supply elsewhere in the country.
The report was prepared by Lilja Berglind Rögnvaldsdóttir and Elías Arni Eyþórsson, who was a summer intern at Húsavík Academic Centre.
