Simple Flying recently got the chance to sit down for a chat with PLAY’s CEO, Birgir Jónsson, for an exclusive interview. One of the things we asked the executive about was how the airline is using an erupting volcano in Iceland as a marketing tool to sell more tickets. The Icelandic carrier even offered free tickets on its flights, with an additional opportunity to fly close to the site, giving passengers and adventure junkies a front-row seat to a live erupting volcano.

Birgir explained the main reason why his airline is playing the volcano card so aggressively and the impact it hopes to have over the long term. Indeed, all this is only possible because the eruption poses no danger to nearby aircraft. Let’s take a closer look at the thought process behind PLAY’s recent promotions.

Projecting Iceland as a nature lover’s dream holiday destination

From the CEO’s words, it is pretty clear that the primary reason for marketing the volcanic eruption was to promote tourism in the country. Birgir believes that events like these have a significant impact on travelers’ perceptions as it makes them look at Iceland as a dangerous yet exciting spot for a holiday.

Birgir Jónsson, CEO of PLAY, told Simple Flying,

“I think it has to do with the image of Iceland as a destination within the massive amount of choices that the traveler has. And so it’s good to kind of sharpen the image of the Icelandic nation of being a semi-dangerous, semi-exciting place to visit. I mean I did it myself over the weekend. I flew over the volcano on one of our flights and it is really a massively unbelievable thing to do.”

Indeed, the CEO understands that such events are not a ‘deciding factor’ for most tourists when choosing their next holiday destination. Instead, the chance to see a live volcanic eruption from a few thousand feet in the air is surely a valuable addition to the list of things worth seeing in Iceland. However, Birgir hopes that the desired increase in the inflow of tourists into the country will happen over the long term.

Birgir also added that all flights, hotels, and rental cars are fully booked in Iceland since it is the height of the summer. But PLAY hopes that such spectacular scenes will drive in more tourists during the winter or even fall next year.

Background

On August 3rd, a volcano close to the country’s major international air traffic hub of Keflavik Airport erupted, posing a potential risk to air traffic if the situation took a turn for the worse. Thankfully, none of that happened, and operations at and around the airport continued normally. PLAY decided to make the most of the situation and began promoting the picturesque views on its social media platforms.

The Icelandic low-cost carrier even ran a promotion by giving away two roundtrip plane tickets to lucky winners on the internet. The award also came with a complimentary helicopter ride of the erupting volcano.

What do you make of PLAY’s latest promotional efforts? Do you agree with the CEO in that such events will help boost tourism in Iceland over the long term? Please, share your thoughts in the comments.