Summary
August 2006 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 143,559 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 137,638 in August 2005—a +4.3% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 76.7%, down 0.4 percentage points from 77.1% in 2005. Foreign card spending totaled 3.7 billion ISK (+18.3% YoY).
August 2006 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through August, reached 664,944, up 9.1% on the same period of 2005. Within 2006, 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 23.6%.
Germany was the largest source market with 17.7% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 45.9%. Hotel occupancy of 76.7% 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 2006, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2006 | Nights 2005 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 25,356 | 26,839 | -5.5% | 17.7% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 22,416 | 18,280 | +22.6% | 15.6% |
| 3 | United States of America | 18,151 | 20,767 | -12.6% | 12.6% |
| 4 | Italy | 10,258 | 10,592 | -3.2% | 7.1% |
| 5 | Denmark | 9,208 | 8,503 | +8.3% | 6.4% |
| 6 | Spain | 7,764 | 6,009 | +29.2% | 5.4% |
| 7 | Sweden | 7,481 | 8,642 | -13.4% | 5.2% |
| 8 | France | 6,945 | 5,366 | +29.4% | 4.8% |
| 9 | Other European countries | 6,775 | 4,539 | +49.3% | 4.7% |
| 10 | Norway | 6,185 | 6,253 | -1.1% | 4.3% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for August 2006:
| Region | Occupancy 2006 | Occupancy 2005 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 82.7% | 84.4% | -1.7 pp |
| Total | 76.7% | 77.1% | -0.4 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 73.1% | 69.0% | +4.1 pp |
| South | 71.4% | 69.1% | +2.3 pp |
| East | 67.7% | 77.3% | -9.6 pp |
| North | 63.3% | 60.8% | +2.5 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in August 2006 was 3,722.67 million ISK (3.72 billion ISK), compared to 3,145.6 million ISK in August 2005.
This represents a +18.3% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 20,199 overnight stays in hotels in August 2006, up 22.6% from 16,470 in 2005.
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