Summary
July 2010 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 178,629 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 182,244 in July 2009—a -2.0% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 75.7%, down 3.9 percentage points from 79.6% in 2009. Foreign card spending totaled 8.6 billion ISK (-1.5% YoY).
July 2010 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through July, reached 634,677, up 2.3% on the same period of 2009. Within 2010, 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 7.5%.
Germany was the largest source market with 27.4% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 46.7%. Hotel occupancy of 75.7% 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 2010, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2010 | Nights 2009 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 48,873 | 37,431 | +30.6% | 27.4% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 18,277 | 23,990 | -23.8% | 10.2% |
| 3 | United States of America | 16,348 | 14,921 | +9.6% | 9.2% |
| 4 | Denmark | 12,124 | 10,848 | +11.8% | 6.8% |
| 5 | France | 10,523 | 9,917 | +6.1% | 5.9% |
| 6 | Norway | 9,619 | 8,847 | +8.7% | 5.4% |
| 7 | Sweden | 9,517 | 11,310 | -15.9% | 5.3% |
| 8 | Other European countries | 8,711 | 11,504 | -24.3% | 4.9% |
| 9 | Netherlands | 7,507 | 6,257 | +20.0% | 4.2% |
| 10 | Switzerland (incl. Liechtenstein) | 6,874 | 6,556 | +4.9% | 3.8% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for July 2010:
| Region | Occupancy 2010 | Occupancy 2009 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| North | 82.5% | 86.3% | -3.8 pp |
| South | 80.5% | 82.2% | -1.7 pp |
| Total | 75.7% | 79.6% | -3.9 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 75.2% | 73.4% | +1.8 pp |
| Capital Region | 73.7% | 78.8% | -5.1 pp |
| Reykjanes | 72.7% | 74.8% | -2.1 pp |
| East | 70.3% | 71.1% | -0.8 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in July 2010 was 8,557.33 million ISK (8.56 billion ISK), compared to 8,690.34 million ISK in July 2009.
This represents a -1.5% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 18,043 overnight stays in hotels in July 2010, down 13.7% from 20,906 in 2009.
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