Full Year Analysis
The year in context
With 1,261,938 foreign passengers through Keflavík Airport, 2015 ranks 9th of the 23 complete years on record, 54% of the record set in 2018. Compared with the average of the five preceding years, 2015 came in ahead by 85.7%. Foreign hotel nights reached 52% of their 2025 record.
Overall Performance
2015 marked continued recovery and growth for Iceland's tourism sector. Foreign visitors recorded 2,547,149 overnight stays in hotels throughout the year, an increase of 29.4% compared to 2014's 1,968,146 nights.
Spending Trends
Tourist card spending totaled 155 billion ISK in 2015, up 36.9% from 2014. On a per-night basis, spending averaged 61k ISK, an increase of 5.8% year-over-year. Spending growth outpaced volume growth, suggesting higher per-visitor expenditure.
Seasonal Patterns
Jul was the busiest month with 338,364 foreign overnight stays, while Jan recorded the lowest volume at 137,616 nights. Average hotel occupancy ranged from winter lows to summer peaks, with a full-year average of 63.8%.
Source Markets
United Kingdom remained Iceland's largest source market, accounting for 22.9% of foreign overnight stays. United States of America (20.7%) and Germany (14.5%) rounded out the top three. Notable growth came from United Kingdom, United States of America, Germany.
Data Sources
- Overnight Stays: Statistics Iceland (Hagstofa Íslands)
- Occupancy Rates: Statistics Iceland
- Card Spending: Central Bank of Iceland (Seðlabanki Íslands)