Summary
August 2010 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 166,282 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 180,983 in August 2009—a -8.1% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 74.7%, down 5.5 percentage points from 80.2% in 2009. Foreign card spending totaled 8.4 billion ISK (-7.8% YoY).
August 2010 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through August, reached 800,959, down 0.0% on the same period of 2009. Within 2010, 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 5.9%.
Germany was the largest source market with 23.9% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 45.5%. Hotel occupancy of 74.7% 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 2010, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2010 | Nights 2009 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 39,738 | 36,874 | +7.8% | 23.9% |
| 2 | United States of America | 18,250 | 16,902 | +8.0% | 11.0% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 17,677 | 25,485 | -30.6% | 10.6% |
| 4 | France | 10,303 | 9,627 | +7.0% | 6.2% |
| 5 | Denmark | 9,632 | 9,399 | +2.5% | 5.8% |
| 6 | Norway | 9,491 | 8,292 | +14.5% | 5.7% |
| 7 | Spain | 9,112 | 11,931 | -23.6% | 5.5% |
| 8 | Italy | 8,311 | 15,205 | -45.3% | 5.0% |
| 9 | Sweden | 8,266 | 9,020 | -8.4% | 5.0% |
| 10 | Other European countries | 7,912 | 8,317 | -4.9% | 4.8% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for August 2010:
| Region | Occupancy 2010 | Occupancy 2009 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 78.1% | 80.4% | -2.3 pp |
| Total | 74.7% | 80.2% | -5.5 pp |
| Reykjanes | 74.2% | 77.5% | -3.3 pp |
| North | 71.2% | 85.6% | -14.4 pp |
| South | 70.0% | 80.5% | -10.5 pp |
| East | 66.3% | 72.4% | -6.1 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 61.9% | 71.5% | -9.6 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in August 2010 was 8,363.15 million ISK (8.36 billion ISK), compared to 9,070.47 million ISK in August 2009.
This represents a -7.8% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 24,150 overnight stays in hotels in August 2010, down 0.2% from 24,195 in 2009.
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