Delivered by Ingenta to: University of Newcastle IP: 46.148.30.159 On: Thu, 10 Nov 2016 16:30:36 Article(s) and/or figure(s) cannot be used for resale. Please use proper citation format when citing this article including the DOI, publisher reference, volume number and page location. 241 Tourism in Marine Environments, Vol. 10, No. 3–4, pp. 241–254 1544-273X/15 $60.00 + .00 Printed in the USA. All rights reserved. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3727/154427315X14181438892928 Copyright © 2015 Cognizant Comm. Corp. E-ISSN 2169-0197 www.cognizantcommunication.com Address correspondence to Edward H. Huijbens, Professor/Director, School of Business and Science/Icelandic Tourism Research Centre, University of Akureyri, Borgum v/Nordurslod, 600 Akureyri, Iceland. Tel: +354 460 8930; Fax: +354 460 8919; E-mail: edward@unak.is twofold. First, cruise industry development in Ice- land in the preceding years was analyzed through cruise arrival statistics provided by 13 munici- pal port authorities. Second, an in-depth study of cruise industry development and impacts in the town of Akureyri in the North of Iceland and its vicinity was performed. There cruise ships formed the greatest share of the local harbor’s income compared to the other 13 municipal ports in Ice- land receiving ships. The focus of the study was on local economic impact of cruise ships and on CRUISE TOURISM IN ICELAND AND THE NORTH ATLANTIC: GATEWAYS TO THE ARCTIC AND THE CHALLENGES TO PORT READINESS PROGRAMS EDWARD H. HUIJBENS School of Business and Science/Icelandic Tourism Research Centre, University of Akureyri, Akureyri, Iceland This article details the findings of research undertaken on cruise ship operations around Iceland and in the North Atlantic in the year 2013 and until the end of the summer season 2014. The focus of the research was on the socioeconomic impact of cruise ship arrivals on small and/or peripheral destina- tions in Iceland, set within the context of cruise tourism development in the North Atlantic and the Arctic more broadly. The article details who can expect to receive benefits from cruise ship arrivals in a peripheral destination in Iceland. The findings demonstrate that Iceland is largely dependent on big cruise ships for the accrued benefit, yet opportunities exist for smaller harbors to cater to expedition-type vessels, vessels that are indeed doing arctic exploration, and Iceland could function as the gateway harbor, with well-developed infrastructure for these purposes. Key words: Iceland; Cruise tourism; Arctic; Port readiness; Gateway Introduction This article details findings pertaining to the benefits of cruise ship arrivals accruing to desti- nations in Iceland and how understanding these benefits can facilitate positive impacts from cruise industry development in this region of the North Atlantic. The research was performed by the Ice- landic Tourism Research Centre (ITRC) during the year 2013 and until the end of the summer season of 2014. Data gathered relevant to this article were