Summary
July 2021 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 278,562 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 105,377 in July 2020—a +164.3% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 68.9%, up 22.7 percentage points from 46.2% in 2020. Foreign card spending totaled 23.7 billion ISK (+145.4% YoY).
July 2021 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through July, reached 494,959, down 42.1% on the same period of 2020. Within 2021, July ranked 4th of the twelve months by foreign nights. Against the average for July over the five preceding years, this month came in behind by 33.9%. Compared with July 2019, the last full year before the pandemic, foreign nights were down 40.5%.
United States of America was the largest source market with 46.5% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 63.9%. Hotel occupancy of 68.9% 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 2021, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2021 | Nights 2020 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States of America | 129,397 | 2,567 | +4940.8% | 46.5% |
| 2 | Germany | 30,237 | 26,038 | +16.1% | 10.9% |
| 3 | Israel | 18,472 | 102 | +18009.8% | 6.6% |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 17,982 | 5,519 | +225.8% | 6.5% |
| 5 | France | 11,851 | 6,353 | +86.5% | 4.3% |
| 6 | Switzerland (incl. Liechtenstein) | 9,641 | 6,391 | +50.9% | 3.5% |
| 7 | Italy | 8,115 | 3,035 | +167.4% | 2.9% |
| 8 | Denmark | 7,575 | 24,168 | -68.7% | 2.7% |
| 9 | Netherlands | 5,314 | 6,085 | -12.7% | 1.9% |
| 10 | Spain | 4,746 | 1,571 | +202.1% | 1.7% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for July 2021:
| Region | Occupancy 2021 | Occupancy 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| East | 80.9% | 73.3% | +7.6 pp |
| North | 77.8% | 74.6% | +3.2 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 69.1% | 54.2% | +14.9 pp |
| Total | 68.9% | 46.2% | +22.7 pp |
| South | 68.1% | 48.9% | +19.2 pp |
| Capital Region | 66.5% | 32.8% | +33.7 pp |
| Reykjanes | 64.3% | 30.1% | +34.2 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in July 2021 was 23,666.68 million ISK (23.67 billion ISK), compared to 9,645.45 million ISK in July 2020.
This represents a +145.4% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 110,591 overnight stays in hotels in July 2021, down 14.7% from 129,611 in 2020.
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