Summary
July 2003 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 116,908 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 107,801 in July 2002—a +8.4% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 72.2%, down 4.8 percentage points from 77.0% in 2002. Foreign card spending totaled 2.1 billion ISK (0.0% YoY).
July 2003 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through July, reached 417,009, up 7.4% on the same period of 2002. Within 2003, July ranked 2nd of the twelve months by foreign nights. Against the average for July over the five preceding years, this month came in ahead by 16.5%.
Germany was the largest source market with 27.0% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 54.6%. Hotel occupancy of 72.2% 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 July 2003, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2003 | Nights 2002 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 31,528 | 29,219 | +7.9% | 27.0% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 19,655 | 16,133 | +21.8% | 16.8% |
| 3 | United States of America | 12,685 | 12,424 | +2.1% | 10.9% |
| 4 | France | 7,810 | 8,036 | -2.8% | 6.7% |
| 5 | Switzerland (incl. Liechtenstein) | 6,351 | 5,206 | +22.0% | 5.4% |
| 6 | Italy | 5,604 | 5,566 | +0.7% | 4.8% |
| 7 | Denmark | 5,532 | 5,817 | -4.9% | 4.7% |
| 8 | Netherlands | 5,434 | 4,381 | +24.0% | 4.6% |
| 9 | Norway | 4,604 | 4,041 | +13.9% | 3.9% |
| 10 | Sweden | 3,495 | 4,255 | -17.9% | 3.0% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for July 2003:
| Region | Occupancy 2003 | Occupancy 2002 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| East | 81.5% | 80.7% | +0.8 pp |
| North | 77.8% | 77.0% | +0.8 pp |
| Capital Region | 74.2% | 81.8% | -7.6 pp |
| Total | 72.2% | 77.0% | -4.8 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 67.6% | 72.5% | -4.9 pp |
| South | 64.7% | 65.2% | -0.5 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in July 2003 was 2,092.38 million ISK (2.09 billion ISK), compared to 0 million ISK in July 2002.
This represents a 0.0% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 10,961 overnight stays in hotels in July 2003, down 2.1% from 11,194 in 2002.
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