Summary
July 2006 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 158,562 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 139,869 in July 2005—a +13.4% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 79.7%, up 3.9 percentage points from 75.8% in 2005. Foreign card spending totaled 3.4 billion ISK (+31.9% YoY).
July 2006 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through July, reached 521,385, up 10.6% on the same period of 2005. Within 2006, July ranked 1st of the twelve months by foreign nights. Against the average for July over the five preceding years, this month came in ahead by 31.9%.
Germany was the largest source market with 21.0% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 47.9%. Hotel occupancy of 79.7% 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 July 2006, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2006 | Nights 2005 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 33,312 | 32,263 | +3.3% | 21.0% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 23,647 | 17,743 | +33.3% | 14.9% |
| 3 | United States of America | 19,019 | 16,999 | +11.9% | 12.0% |
| 4 | Denmark | 10,275 | 9,063 | +13.4% | 6.5% |
| 5 | France | 8,535 | 7,785 | +9.6% | 5.4% |
| 6 | Other European countries | 8,513 | 3,914 | +117.5% | 5.4% |
| 7 | Sweden | 8,261 | 9,353 | -11.7% | 5.2% |
| 8 | Italy | 6,648 | 6,457 | +3.0% | 4.2% |
| 9 | Switzerland (incl. Liechtenstein) | 6,237 | 6,087 | +2.5% | 3.9% |
| 10 | Netherlands | 6,182 | 5,518 | +12.0% | 3.9% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for July 2006:
| Region | Occupancy 2006 | Occupancy 2005 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 86.0% | 79.0% | +7.0 pp |
| Total | 79.7% | 75.8% | +3.9 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 76.4% | 70.2% | +6.2 pp |
| East | 75.6% | 78.6% | -3.0 pp |
| South | 71.4% | 68.5% | +2.9 pp |
| North | 67.3% | 75.6% | -8.3 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in July 2006 was 3,384.46 million ISK (3.38 billion ISK), compared to 2,565.19 million ISK in July 2005.
This represents a +31.9% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 19,237 overnight stays in hotels in July 2006, up 6.3% from 18,101 in 2005.
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