At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it soon became clear that it would not only affect public health, but that it would also have a huge economic impact. The Icelandic government therefore introduced various measures for companies to mitigate this impact on the economy. Like many other companies, Blue Lagoon took advantage of some of these remedies. This was particularly important for the company in order to protect jobs and be able to expand its activities quickly once it bounced back.

This support has already paid off handsomely for the Treasury. The company’s total tax footprint in 2021, taking into account the above measures, was over ISK 1.8 billion, which is nine times the amount that the company availed of through the government’s support remedies. The tax footprint includes all taxes and levies paid to the state and municipalities.

Blue Lagoon created great shared value for society in 2021, just as in previous years, since its economic impact has been great, whether one looks at the economy in general or the local community in particular.  Last year, the company’s economic contribution amounted to 104% of its turnover, i.e. ISK 7.5 billion.

In the first half of 2021, investments were particularly focused on reform projects and processes were revised.  The company’s administrative system was ISO certified during the year with regard to quality, environment, safety and health. The emphasis on these certifications and the consensus of the Blue Lagoon’s staff in further strengthening the company’s position eloquently illustrates the Blue Lagoon’s corporate culture, which aims for continuous improvements. We continued on the path of investing in other enhancement projects, such as IT infrastructure, digital development and increasing the range of available services.  Considerable maintenance work was carried out on constructions and radical improvements were made to the Lava restaurant. The new Blue Lagoon store in the Kringlan shopping mall was opened in April 2021 and the store on Laugavegur 15 was re-opened in November, after closing from the beginning of 2021.

The Blue Lagoon’s new skincare product line, BL+, was launched in the spring.  The product line is based on the new ingredient BL+ COMPLEX, which uses the patent of Blue Lagoon hf. on microalgae and silica.  This revolutionary material is the fruit of innovation, sustainable development and over 30 years of the company’s research work into the Blue Lagoon’s geothermal seawater. The main focus has been on bringing the product line to market in the United States. The products have already been COSMOS NATURAL certified, which strengthens their position in the market with regard to sustainability and traceability.

After the operations of Blue Lagoon were reopened in the middle of 2021, the number of visitors has risen again at the same time as the number of foreign tourists to the country has increased. Our guests increasingly enjoy all that Blue Lagoon has to offer and generally stay longer than before. Improvement projects focused on increasing efficiency and the product range have been successful. The NPS score, which is an indicator of visitor satisfaction and how likely they are to recommend Blue Lagoon, continues to be very high in all international comparisons and is consistent with measurements from previous years. Unique human resources have yielded great results and a unique experience for our guests.

The company looks to a new era with a clear focus on unique health and well-being experiences with an emphasis on environmental and sustainability issues as its guiding principles. It is our belief that such a journey will increase efficiency, improve our organization and target setting and therefore the success of the company, whether it be from a financial, social or environmental point of view. We look to the future with bright eyes.