Summary
July 2018 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 442,469 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 434,937 in July 2017—a +1.7% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 82.5%, down 6.7 percentage points from 89.2% in 2017. Foreign card spending totaled 33.5 billion ISK (-0.1% YoY).
July 2018 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through July, reached 2,249,372, up 1.7% on the same period of 2017. Within 2018, 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 28.0%.
United States of America was the largest source market with 35.6% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 55.1%. Hotel occupancy of 82.5% means that share of available rooms was sold across the month; at this level most hotels in the capital are effectively full on peak nights. 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 2018, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2018 | Nights 2017 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States of America | 157,313 | 128,441 | +22.5% | 35.6% |
| 2 | Germany | 56,844 | 76,022 | -25.2% | 12.8% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 29,758 | 35,077 | -15.2% | 6.7% |
| 4 | China | 27,844 | 21,132 | +31.8% | 6.3% |
| 5 | France | 19,264 | 20,158 | -4.4% | 4.4% |
| 6 | Spain | 14,478 | 14,513 | -0.2% | 3.3% |
| 7 | Switzerland (incl. Liechtenstein) | 13,490 | 13,490 | 0.0% | 3.0% |
| 8 | Italy | 11,475 | 12,051 | -4.8% | 2.6% |
| 9 | Canada | 10,619 | 10,756 | -1.3% | 2.4% |
| 10 | Denmark | 9,853 | 12,250 | -19.6% | 2.2% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for July 2018:
| Region | Occupancy 2018 | Occupancy 2017 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjanes | 91.3% | 89.9% | +1.4 pp |
| Capital Region | 84.3% | 92.7% | -8.4 pp |
| South | 83.9% | 89.7% | -5.8 pp |
| Total | 82.5% | 89.2% | -6.7 pp |
| East | 79.1% | 80.2% | -1.1 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 75.4% | 79.3% | -3.9 pp |
| North | 73.8% | 81.6% | -7.8 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in July 2018 was 33,536.77 million ISK (33.54 billion ISK), compared to 33,558.91 million ISK in July 2017.
This represents a -0.1% year-over-year change. Despite growth in overnight stays in hotels, spending declined—possibly reflecting lower per-visitor expenditure or shifts in spending patterns.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 44,321 overnight stays in hotels in July 2018, up 14.6% from 38,667 in 2017.
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