Summary
June 2014 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 214,053 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 202,049 in June 2013—a +5.9% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 76.0%, down 1.2 percentage points from 77.2% in 2013. Foreign card spending totaled 14.1 billion ISK (+23.8% YoY).
June 2014 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through June, reached 875,199, up 15.3% on the same period of 2013. Within 2014, 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 33.7%.
Germany was the largest source market with 22.0% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 50.8%. Hotel occupancy of 76.0% 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 2014, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2014 | Nights 2013 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 47,043 | 46,198 | +1.8% | 22.0% |
| 2 | United States of America | 38,745 | 33,861 | +14.4% | 18.1% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 22,980 | 19,032 | +20.7% | 10.7% |
| 4 | France | 13,428 | 17,197 | -21.9% | 6.3% |
| 5 | Sweden | 10,303 | 9,377 | +9.9% | 4.8% |
| 6 | Norway | 10,194 | 14,250 | -28.5% | 4.8% |
| 7 | Denmark | 8,333 | 6,657 | +25.2% | 3.9% |
| 8 | Netherlands | 6,980 | 6,727 | +3.8% | 3.3% |
| 9 | Canada | 6,943 | 4,643 | +49.5% | 3.2% |
| 10 | Switzerland (incl. Liechtenstein) | 5,953 | 5,972 | -0.3% | 2.8% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for June 2014:
| Region | Occupancy 2014 | Occupancy 2013 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 87.0% | 85.9% | +1.1 pp |
| Total | 76.0% | 77.2% | -1.2 pp |
| North | 69.3% | 59.4% | +9.9 pp |
| Reykjanes | 68.1% | 72.6% | -4.5 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 62.3% | 63.3% | -1.0 pp |
| South | 60.9% | 70.8% | -9.9 pp |
| East | 57.7% | 55.2% | +2.5 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in June 2014 was 14,054.92 million ISK (14.05 billion ISK), compared to 11,348.41 million ISK in June 2013.
This represents a +23.8% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 25,749 overnight stays in hotels in June 2014, down 13.5% from 29,760 in 2013.
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