Summary
August 2013 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 231,861 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 221,070 in August 2012—a +4.9% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 83.3%, down 2.4 percentage points from 85.7% in 2012. Foreign card spending totaled 14.2 billion ISK (+15.0% YoY).
August 2013 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through August, reached 1,249,814, up 14.9% on the same period of 2012. Within 2013, 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 25.4%.
Germany was the largest source market with 20.5% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 46.0%. Hotel occupancy of 83.3% 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 2013, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2013 | Nights 2012 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 47,561 | 45,543 | +4.4% | 20.5% |
| 2 | United States of America | 38,039 | 34,969 | +8.8% | 16.4% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 20,995 | 19,177 | +9.5% | 9.1% |
| 4 | Norway | 13,516 | 11,412 | +18.4% | 5.8% |
| 5 | France | 12,539 | 13,929 | -10.0% | 5.4% |
| 6 | Spain | 11,083 | 10,956 | +1.2% | 4.8% |
| 7 | Sweden | 10,827 | 10,612 | +2.0% | 4.7% |
| 8 | Italy | 10,804 | 10,686 | +1.1% | 4.7% |
| 9 | Switzerland (incl. Liechtenstein) | 7,321 | 6,024 | +21.5% | 3.2% |
| 10 | Denmark | 6,466 | 10,920 | -40.8% | 2.8% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for August 2013:
| Region | Occupancy 2013 | Occupancy 2012 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 88.6% | 91.6% | -3.0 pp |
| Total | 83.3% | 85.7% | -2.4 pp |
| East | 78.6% | 76.5% | +2.1 pp |
| Reykjanes | 77.3% | 83.3% | -6.0 pp |
| North | 77.2% | 74.4% | +2.8 pp |
| South | 76.2% | 82.2% | -6.0 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 73.2% | 68.0% | +5.2 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in August 2013 was 14,235.12 million ISK (14.24 billion ISK), compared to 12,375.22 million ISK in August 2012.
This represents a +15.0% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 28,030 overnight stays in hotels in August 2013, up 3.1% from 27,186 in 2012.
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