Summary
June 2013 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 202,049 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 179,920 in June 2012—a +12.3% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 77.2%, down 0.4 percentage points from 77.6% in 2012. Foreign card spending totaled 11.3 billion ISK (+21.0% YoY).
June 2013 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through June, reached 758,849, up 20.6% on the same period of 2012. Within 2013, 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 38.8%.
Germany was the largest source market with 22.9% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 49.0%. Hotel occupancy of 77.2% 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 2013, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2013 | Nights 2012 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 46,198 | 39,415 | +17.2% | 22.9% |
| 2 | United States of America | 33,861 | 29,272 | +15.7% | 16.8% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 19,032 | 18,902 | +0.7% | 9.4% |
| 4 | France | 17,197 | 13,223 | +30.1% | 8.5% |
| 5 | Norway | 14,250 | 12,885 | +10.6% | 7.1% |
| 6 | Sweden | 9,377 | 10,168 | -7.8% | 4.6% |
| 7 | Netherlands | 6,727 | 6,065 | +10.9% | 3.3% |
| 8 | Denmark | 6,657 | 8,889 | -25.1% | 3.3% |
| 9 | Switzerland (incl. Liechtenstein) | 5,972 | 4,687 | +27.4% | 3.0% |
| 10 | China | 4,981 | 941 | +429.3% | 2.5% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for June 2013:
| Region | Occupancy 2013 | Occupancy 2012 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 85.9% | 87.5% | -1.6 pp |
| Total | 77.2% | 77.6% | -0.4 pp |
| Reykjanes | 72.6% | 76.0% | -3.4 pp |
| South | 70.8% | 71.0% | -0.2 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 63.3% | 58.3% | +5.0 pp |
| North | 59.4% | 56.8% | +2.6 pp |
| East | 55.2% | 54.0% | +1.2 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in June 2013 was 11,348.41 million ISK (11.35 billion ISK), compared to 9,378.63 million ISK in June 2012.
This represents a +21.0% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 29,760 overnight stays in hotels in June 2013, up 4.7% from 28,429 in 2012.
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