Summary
June 2006 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 111,435 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 105,392 in June 2005—a +5.7% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 67.8%, down 1.1 percentage points from 68.9% in 2005. Foreign card spending totaled 2.2 billion ISK (+22.1% YoY).
June 2006 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through June, reached 362,823, up 9.4% on the same period of 2005. Within 2006, 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 22.7%.
Germany was the largest source market with 20.1% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 48.1%. Hotel occupancy of 67.8% 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 2006, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2006 | Nights 2005 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 22,366 | 19,120 | +17.0% | 20.1% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 17,010 | 15,378 | +10.6% | 15.3% |
| 3 | United States of America | 14,212 | 15,480 | -8.2% | 12.8% |
| 4 | Sweden | 7,194 | 8,477 | -15.1% | 6.5% |
| 5 | France | 6,944 | 6,328 | +9.7% | 6.2% |
| 6 | Denmark | 6,466 | 6,921 | -6.6% | 5.8% |
| 7 | Norway | 5,921 | 5,765 | +2.7% | 5.3% |
| 8 | Other European countries | 5,382 | 3,716 | +44.8% | 4.8% |
| 9 | Netherlands | 4,106 | 4,393 | -6.5% | 3.7% |
| 10 | Italy | 3,709 | 2,980 | +24.5% | 3.3% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for June 2006:
| Region | Occupancy 2006 | Occupancy 2005 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 79.2% | 79.0% | +0.2 pp |
| Total | 67.8% | 68.9% | -1.1 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 62.5% | 60.5% | +2.0 pp |
| South | 52.6% | 54.1% | -1.5 pp |
| East | 51.4% | 59.8% | -8.4 pp |
| North | 49.1% | 52.4% | -3.3 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in June 2006 was 2,248.51 million ISK (2.25 billion ISK), compared to 1,841.09 million ISK in June 2005.
This represents a +22.1% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 21,344 overnight stays in hotels in June 2006, up 15.3% from 18,506 in 2005.
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