Summary
August 2007 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 158,019 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 143,559 in August 2006—a +10.1% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 75.7%, down 1.0 percentage points from 76.7% in 2006. Foreign card spending totaled 4.2 billion ISK (+12.3% YoY).
August 2007 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through August, reached 762,245, up 14.6% on the same period of 2006. Within 2007, 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 26.3%.
Germany was the largest source market with 18.2% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 44.8%. Hotel occupancy of 75.7% 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 2007, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2007 | Nights 2006 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 28,776 | 25,356 | +13.5% | 18.2% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 24,749 | 22,416 | +10.4% | 15.7% |
| 3 | United States of America | 17,335 | 18,151 | -4.5% | 11.0% |
| 4 | Sweden | 11,032 | 7,481 | +47.5% | 7.0% |
| 5 | Italy | 10,585 | 10,258 | +3.2% | 6.7% |
| 6 | Spain | 9,210 | 7,764 | +18.6% | 5.8% |
| 7 | France | 7,686 | 6,945 | +10.7% | 4.9% |
| 8 | Norway | 7,543 | 6,185 | +22.0% | 4.8% |
| 9 | Denmark | 7,399 | 9,208 | -19.6% | 4.7% |
| 10 | Other European countries | 7,376 | 6,775 | +8.9% | 4.7% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for August 2007:
| Region | Occupancy 2007 | Occupancy 2006 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 78.8% | 82.7% | -3.9 pp |
| Total | 75.7% | 76.7% | -1.0 pp |
| Reykjanes | 75.7% | 0.0% | +75.7 pp |
| South | 74.3% | 71.4% | +2.9 pp |
| East | 73.6% | 67.7% | +5.9 pp |
| North | 72.0% | 63.3% | +8.7 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 61.9% | 73.1% | -11.2 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in August 2007 was 4,179.42 million ISK (4.18 billion ISK), compared to 3,722.67 million ISK in August 2006.
This represents a +12.3% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 27,924 overnight stays in hotels in August 2007, up 38.2% from 20,199 in 2006.
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