Summary
June 2005 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 105,392 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 98,574 in June 2004—a +6.9% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 68.9%, up 3.7 percentage points from 65.2% in 2004. Foreign card spending totaled 1.8 billion ISK (+16.5% YoY).
June 2005 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through June, reached 331,716, up 2.1% on the same period of 2004. Within 2005, 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 24.3%.
Germany was the largest source market with 18.1% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 47.4%. 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 June 2005, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2005 | Nights 2004 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 19,120 | 19,075 | +0.2% | 18.1% |
| 2 | United States of America | 15,480 | 14,170 | +9.2% | 14.7% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 15,378 | 17,023 | -9.7% | 14.6% |
| 4 | Sweden | 8,477 | 5,634 | +50.5% | 8.0% |
| 5 | Denmark | 6,921 | 5,496 | +25.9% | 6.6% |
| 6 | France | 6,328 | 4,967 | +27.4% | 6.0% |
| 7 | Norway | 5,765 | 6,936 | -16.9% | 5.5% |
| 8 | Netherlands | 4,393 | 3,240 | +35.6% | 4.2% |
| 9 | Other European countries | 3,716 | 7,129 | -47.9% | 3.5% |
| 10 | Italy | 2,980 | 2,149 | +38.7% | 2.8% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for June 2005:
| Region | Occupancy 2005 | Occupancy 2004 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 79.0% | 75.8% | +3.2 pp |
| Total | 68.9% | 65.2% | +3.7 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 60.5% | 53.1% | +7.4 pp |
| East | 59.8% | 55.3% | +4.5 pp |
| South | 54.1% | 45.7% | +8.4 pp |
| North | 52.4% | 57.7% | -5.3 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in June 2005 was 1,841.09 million ISK (1.84 billion ISK), compared to 1,579.67 million ISK in June 2004.
This represents a +16.5% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 18,506 overnight stays in hotels in June 2005, up 26.1% from 14,676 in 2004.
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