Summary
June 2009 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 125,499 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 129,693 in June 2008—a -3.2% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 66.5%, down 4.8 percentage points from 71.3% in 2008. Foreign card spending totaled 6.0 billion ISK (+72.6% YoY).
June 2009 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through June, reached 437,961, up 1.4% on the same period of 2008. Within 2009, 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 9.1%.
Germany was the largest source market with 19.7% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 43.2%. Hotel occupancy of 66.5% 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 2009, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2009 | Nights 2008 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 24,745 | 22,191 | +11.5% | 19.7% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 17,285 | 18,502 | -6.6% | 13.8% |
| 3 | United States of America | 12,177 | 14,222 | -14.4% | 9.7% |
| 4 | Sweden | 9,253 | 10,675 | -13.3% | 7.4% |
| 5 | Denmark | 8,678 | 8,150 | +6.5% | 6.9% |
| 6 | Norway | 7,963 | 8,154 | -2.3% | 6.3% |
| 7 | France | 6,700 | 7,411 | -9.6% | 5.3% |
| 8 | Netherlands | 6,439 | 6,229 | +3.4% | 5.1% |
| 9 | Other European countries | 6,298 | 5,732 | +9.9% | 5.0% |
| 10 | Italy | 4,265 | 4,301 | -0.8% | 3.4% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for June 2009:
| Region | Occupancy 2009 | Occupancy 2008 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 74.0% | 80.4% | -6.4 pp |
| Total | 66.5% | 71.3% | -4.8 pp |
| Reykjanes | 58.6% | 76.8% | -18.2 pp |
| North | 56.0% | 57.4% | -1.4 pp |
| South | 55.6% | 55.2% | +0.4 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 55.4% | 56.3% | -0.9 pp |
| East | 49.7% | 58.9% | -9.2 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in June 2009 was 6,043.49 million ISK (6.04 billion ISK), compared to 3,501.53 million ISK in June 2008.
This represents a +72.6% year-over-year change. Spending increased even as overnight stays declined, suggesting higher per-visitor expenditure.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 23,279 overnight stays in hotels in June 2009, down 10.8% from 26,083 in 2008.
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