Summary
August 2004 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 123,851 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 118,767 in August 2003—a +4.3% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 74.0%, down 3.5 percentage points from 77.5% in 2003. Foreign card spending totaled 2.7 billion ISK (+22.1% YoY).
August 2004 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through August, reached 587,734, up 9.7% on the same period of 2003. Within 2004, August ranked 2nd of the twelve months by foreign nights. Against the average for August over the five preceding years, this month came in ahead by 22.6%.
Germany was the largest source market with 19.2% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 48.7%. Hotel occupancy of 74.0% 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 2004, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2004 | Nights 2003 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 23,840 | 24,068 | -0.9% | 19.2% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 19,411 | 19,088 | +1.7% | 15.7% |
| 3 | United States of America | 17,086 | 13,682 | +24.9% | 13.8% |
| 4 | Italy | 8,774 | 10,091 | -13.1% | 7.1% |
| 5 | Sweden | 7,472 | 7,543 | -0.9% | 6.0% |
| 6 | Denmark | 6,827 | 5,303 | +28.7% | 5.5% |
| 7 | France | 6,729 | 6,554 | +2.7% | 5.4% |
| 8 | Norway | 6,372 | 7,323 | -13.0% | 5.1% |
| 9 | Other European countries | 5,051 | 4,504 | +12.1% | 4.1% |
| 10 | Spain | 4,680 | 3,250 | +44.0% | 3.8% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for August 2004:
| Region | Occupancy 2004 | Occupancy 2003 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 79.9% | 85.9% | -6.0 pp |
| Total | 74.0% | 77.5% | -3.5 pp |
| East | 72.9% | 82.8% | -9.9 pp |
| North | 70.2% | 74.3% | -4.1 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 65.6% | 62.9% | +2.7 pp |
| South | 63.0% | 62.9% | +0.1 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in August 2004 was 2,706.13 million ISK (2.71 billion ISK), compared to 2,215.74 million ISK in August 2003.
This represents a +22.1% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 14,374 overnight stays in hotels in August 2004, down 0.1% from 14,387 in 2003.
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