Icelandic specialist operator Arctic Adventures has acquired tour company Into The Glacier, adding the world’s largest man-made ice cave to its growing number of attractions.
The deal, for an undisclosed sum, will increase the number of tours which Arctic Adventures oversees in Iceland.
The operator, one of Iceland’s largest, currently welcomes about 250,000 guests a year.
Adding Into The Glacier, which annually handles 63,000 travellers, will boost numbers by more than a quarter.
An additional 45 staff will be added to Arctic Adventures’ 260 employees as a result of the takeover.
The growing workforce will be needed, as it is predicted that 2.2 million tourists will visit Iceland in 2019, according to the operator,
Arctic Adventures merged with fellow operator Extreme Iceland last year.
It also set up an office in Vilnius, Lithuania, where it plans to hire up to 75 people in the next three years as part of expansion into additional European markets.
CEO Jón Thór Gunnarsson said: “We are very excited over the purchase of Into the Glacier, which is the largest man-made ice cave in the world. The Ice Cave is situated on Langjökull, Iceland´s second largest glacier and is a unique product.
“The addition of Into the Glacier to our product line shows Arctic Adventures´ commitment to offering high quality products to our customers, and being the only full range activities operator in Iceland.”
Arctic Adventures was founded in 2005 when two Icelandic river rafting tours, Bátafólkið and Arctic Rafting, merged and added snorkelling and glacier hiking to their offering. Whale watching, snowmobiling and horse-riding tours has since been introduced.
An estimated 17% of tourists who visit Iceland go on at least one Arctic Adventures tour.