INGA HLÍN PÁLSDÓTTIR

CEO of Visit Reykjavík

Inga Hlín Pálsdóttir has, for the last three years, been spearheading the creation of a new destination management organisation from scratch, built on principles of sustainability, stakeholder collaboration, and long-term value. She leads the destination strategy for the Greater Reykjavík Area and is the driving force behind Tiptoe Reykjavík, Visit Reykjavík’s first-of-its-kind platform that uses behavioural design to guide travellers toward conscious, community-minded exploration. She has also overseen the first cruise ship policies for Reykjavik port and Hafnarfjörður port in cooperation with the municipalities, the ports and other relevant stakeholders.

She has the been the driving force behind shaping Iceland’s brand for nearly two decades. She served as Director of Visit Iceland for a decade, overseeing the celebrated, award-winning Inspired by Iceland campaigns, a period during which Iceland’s tourism industry grew into the country’s largest revenue-generating sector. She pioneered the Icelandic Pledge, Iceland’s first national initiative (and the world’s first for a whole country) for mindful and sustainable travel behaviour. Inga is driven by a clear mission: to create meaningful, resilient, and responsible destinations that thrive, economically, socially, and ecologically.