Summary
August 2003 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 118,767 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 101,628 in August 2002—a +16.9% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 77.5%, up 1.2 percentage points from 76.3% in 2002. Foreign card spending totaled 2.2 billion ISK (0.0% YoY).
August 2003 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through August, reached 535,776, up 9.4% on the same period of 2002. Within 2003, August ranked 1st of the twelve months by foreign nights. Against the average for August over the five preceding years, this month came in ahead by 24.6%.
Germany was the largest source market with 20.3% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 47.9%. Hotel occupancy of 77.5% means that share of available rooms was sold across the month; this is a healthy shoulder-season level with capacity still available outside the capital. Spending figures are foreign card turnover reported by the Central Bank and exclude cash and purchases made before arrival.
Foreign Overnight Stays by Source Market
The top source markets for August 2003, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2003 | Nights 2002 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 24,068 | 22,318 | +7.8% | 20.3% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 19,088 | 15,722 | +21.4% | 16.1% |
| 3 | United States of America | 13,682 | 11,353 | +20.5% | 11.5% |
| 4 | Italy | 10,091 | 7,651 | +31.9% | 8.5% |
| 5 | Sweden | 7,543 | 7,491 | +0.7% | 6.4% |
| 6 | Norway | 7,323 | 6,252 | +17.1% | 6.2% |
| 7 | France | 6,554 | 6,148 | +6.6% | 5.5% |
| 8 | Denmark | 5,303 | 5,705 | -7.0% | 4.5% |
| 9 | Other European countries | 4,504 | 2,800 | +60.9% | 3.8% |
| 10 | Netherlands | 4,277 | 3,008 | +42.2% | 3.6% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for August 2003:
| Region | Occupancy 2003 | Occupancy 2002 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 85.9% | 86.7% | -0.8 pp |
| East | 82.8% | 75.6% | +7.2 pp |
| Total | 77.5% | 76.3% | +1.2 pp |
| North | 74.3% | 65.8% | +8.5 pp |
| South | 62.9% | 60.8% | +2.1 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 62.9% | 65.6% | -2.7 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in August 2003 was 2,215.74 million ISK (2.22 billion ISK), compared to 0 million ISK in August 2002.
This represents a 0.0% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 14,387 overnight stays in hotels in August 2003, up 27.0% from 11,325 in 2002.
Data Sources
- Overnight Stays: Statistics Iceland (Hagstofa Íslands) — foreign and domestic guest nights in registered hotels
- Occupancy Rates: Statistics Iceland — room occupancy as % of available hotel capacity
- Card Spending: Central Bank of Iceland (Seðlabanki Íslands) — foreign debit/credit card turnover