Summary
February 2009 was part of Iceland's winter season, prime time for northern lights and ice cave tours. Foreign guests recorded 53,278 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 54,037 in February 2008—a -1.4% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 35.7%, down 3.6 percentage points from 39.3% in 2008. Foreign card spending totaled 1.9 billion ISK (+57.8% YoY).
February 2009 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through February, reached 95,674, up 1.8% on the same period of 2008. Within 2009, February ranked 9th of the twelve months by foreign nights. Against the average for February over the five preceding years, this month came in ahead by 24.4%.
United Kingdom was the largest source market with 34.4% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 53.3%. Hotel occupancy of 35.7% means that share of available rooms was sold across the month; this is typical of Iceland's low season, when many rural hotels close and demand concentrates in Reykjavík. 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 February 2009, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2009 | Nights 2008 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Kingdom | 18,353 | 16,143 | +13.7% | 34.4% |
| 2 | United States of America | 5,737 | 4,439 | +29.2% | 10.8% |
| 3 | Germany | 4,289 | 3,415 | +25.6% | 8.1% |
| 4 | Norway | 3,793 | 4,897 | -22.5% | 7.1% |
| 5 | Denmark | 3,432 | 3,477 | -1.3% | 6.4% |
| 6 | Netherlands | 3,344 | 2,679 | +24.8% | 6.3% |
| 7 | Sweden | 3,068 | 4,908 | -37.5% | 5.8% |
| 8 | France | 2,631 | 3,131 | -16.0% | 4.9% |
| 9 | Japan | 2,425 | 2,721 | -10.9% | 4.6% |
| 10 | Other European countries | 1,914 | 2,794 | -31.5% | 3.6% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for February 2009:
| Region | Occupancy 2009 | Occupancy 2008 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjanes | 48.4% | 41.0% | +7.4 pp |
| Capital Region | 43.8% | 50.9% | -7.1 pp |
| Total | 35.7% | 39.3% | -3.6 pp |
| North | 22.2% | 16.0% | +6.2 pp |
| South | 21.0% | 16.7% | +4.3 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 16.3% | 23.8% | -7.5 pp |
| East | 11.6% | 25.9% | -14.3 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in February 2009 was 1,924.73 million ISK (1.92 billion ISK), compared to 1,219.89 million ISK in February 2008.
This represents a +57.8% year-over-year change. Spending increased even as overnight stays declined, suggesting higher per-visitor expenditure.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 19,541 overnight stays in hotels in February 2009, down 17.0% from 23,551 in 2008.
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