Summary
August 2011 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 191,799 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 166,282 in August 2010—a +15.3% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 80.7%, up 6.0 percentage points from 74.7% in 2010. Foreign card spending totaled 10.9 billion ISK (+30.5% YoY).
August 2011 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through August, reached 903,260, up 12.8% on the same period of 2010. Within 2011, 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 17.9%.
Germany was the largest source market with 18.9% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 43.0%. Hotel occupancy of 80.7% means that share of available rooms was sold across the month; at this level most hotels in the capital are effectively full on peak nights. 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 2011, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2011 | Nights 2010 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 36,283 | 39,738 | -8.7% | 18.9% |
| 2 | United States of America | 27,627 | 18,250 | +51.4% | 14.4% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 18,649 | 17,677 | +5.5% | 9.7% |
| 4 | Italy | 11,523 | 8,311 | +38.6% | 6.0% |
| 5 | Spain | 10,929 | 9,112 | +19.9% | 5.7% |
| 6 | Norway | 10,651 | 9,491 | +12.2% | 5.6% |
| 7 | Sweden | 10,643 | 8,266 | +28.8% | 5.5% |
| 8 | France | 10,529 | 10,303 | +2.2% | 5.5% |
| 9 | Other European countries | 9,559 | 7,912 | +20.8% | 5.0% |
| 10 | Denmark | 9,541 | 9,632 | -0.9% | 5.0% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for August 2011:
| Region | Occupancy 2011 | Occupancy 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjanes | 86.4% | 74.2% | +12.2 pp |
| Capital Region | 85.0% | 78.1% | +6.9 pp |
| Total | 80.7% | 74.7% | +6.0 pp |
| North | 75.6% | 71.2% | +4.4 pp |
| South | 73.8% | 70.0% | +3.8 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 68.2% | 61.9% | +6.3 pp |
| East | 67.9% | 66.3% | +1.6 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in August 2011 was 10,910.17 million ISK (10.91 billion ISK), compared to 8,363.15 million ISK in August 2010.
This represents a +30.5% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 26,693 overnight stays in hotels in August 2011, up 10.5% from 24,150 in 2010.
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