Summary
June 2003 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 88,211 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 85,207 in June 2002—a +3.5% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 62.0%, down 9.1 percentage points from 71.1% in 2002. Foreign card spending totaled 1.4 billion ISK (0.0% YoY).
June 2003 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through June, reached 300,101, up 7.0% on the same period of 2002. Within 2003, June ranked 3rd of the twelve months by foreign nights. Against the average for June over the five preceding years, this month came in ahead by 17.6%.
Germany was the largest source market with 21.8% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 53.3%. Hotel occupancy of 62.0% 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 June 2003, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2003 | Nights 2002 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 19,201 | 16,254 | +18.1% | 21.8% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 14,184 | 13,429 | +5.6% | 16.1% |
| 3 | United States of America | 13,636 | 13,400 | +1.8% | 15.5% |
| 4 | France | 7,423 | 6,241 | +18.9% | 8.4% |
| 5 | Norway | 5,873 | 5,688 | +3.3% | 6.7% |
| 6 | Denmark | 4,987 | 5,314 | -6.2% | 5.7% |
| 7 | Sweden | 4,849 | 5,693 | -14.8% | 5.5% |
| 8 | Netherlands | 3,366 | 3,314 | +1.6% | 3.8% |
| 9 | Switzerland (incl. Liechtenstein) | 2,693 | 2,475 | +8.8% | 3.1% |
| 10 | Italy | 2,512 | 2,675 | -6.1% | 2.8% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for June 2003:
| Region | Occupancy 2003 | Occupancy 2002 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 72.9% | 84.4% | -11.5 pp |
| East | 72.3% | 55.8% | +16.5 pp |
| Total | 62.0% | 71.1% | -9.1 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 57.0% | 59.2% | -2.2 pp |
| North | 47.6% | 55.7% | -8.1 pp |
| South | 43.0% | 53.3% | -10.3 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in June 2003 was 1,418.09 million ISK (1.42 billion ISK), compared to 0 million ISK in June 2002.
This represents a 0.0% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 12,329 overnight stays in hotels in June 2003, down 2.6% from 12,662 in 2002.
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