Summary
July 2009 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 182,244 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 177,326 in July 2008—a +2.8% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 79.6%, down 1.8 percentage points from 81.4% in 2008. Foreign card spending totaled 8.7 billion ISK (+65.6% YoY).
July 2009 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through July, reached 620,205, up 1.8% on the same period of 2008. Within 2009, 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 15.7%.
Germany was the largest source market with 20.5% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 41.9%. Hotel occupancy of 79.6% 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 2009, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2009 | Nights 2008 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 37,431 | 39,534 | -5.3% | 20.5% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 23,990 | 25,108 | -4.5% | 13.2% |
| 3 | United States of America | 14,921 | 15,559 | -4.1% | 8.2% |
| 4 | Other European countries | 11,504 | 11,670 | -1.4% | 6.3% |
| 5 | Sweden | 11,310 | 10,014 | +12.9% | 6.2% |
| 6 | Denmark | 10,848 | 10,190 | +6.5% | 6.0% |
| 7 | France | 9,917 | 10,119 | -2.0% | 5.4% |
| 8 | Norway | 8,847 | 6,974 | +26.9% | 4.9% |
| 9 | Italy | 8,087 | 6,196 | +30.5% | 4.4% |
| 10 | Spain | 7,275 | 7,314 | -0.5% | 4.0% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for July 2009:
| Region | Occupancy 2009 | Occupancy 2008 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| North | 86.3% | 80.3% | +6.0 pp |
| South | 82.2% | 86.3% | -4.1 pp |
| Total | 79.6% | 81.4% | -1.8 pp |
| Capital Region | 78.8% | 80.9% | -2.1 pp |
| Reykjanes | 74.8% | 80.7% | -5.9 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 73.4% | 74.1% | -0.7 pp |
| East | 71.1% | 83.3% | -12.2 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in July 2009 was 8,690.34 million ISK (8.69 billion ISK), compared to 5,248.2 million ISK in July 2008.
This represents a +65.6% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 20,906 overnight stays in hotels in July 2009, down 15.7% from 24,804 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