Summary
June 2017 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 371,766 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 341,280 in June 2016—a +8.9% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 80.9%, down 0.6 percentage points from 81.5% in 2016. Foreign card spending totaled 27.8 billion ISK (+6.5% YoY).
June 2017 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through June, reached 1,776,579, up 20.9% on the same period of 2016. Within 2017, 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 55.0%.
United States of America was the largest source market with 30.7% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 56.6%. Hotel occupancy of 80.9% means that share of available rooms was sold across the month; at this level most hotels in the capital are effectively full on peak nights. 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 2017, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2017 | Nights 2016 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States of America | 114,316 | 92,253 | +23.9% | 30.7% |
| 2 | Germany | 62,142 | 65,173 | -4.7% | 16.7% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 33,832 | 38,290 | -11.6% | 9.1% |
| 4 | France | 20,606 | 20,510 | +0.5% | 5.5% |
| 5 | China | 17,808 | 16,508 | +7.9% | 4.8% |
| 6 | Sweden | 12,817 | 12,104 | +5.9% | 3.4% |
| 7 | Canada | 12,419 | 10,186 | +21.9% | 3.3% |
| 8 | Other Asian countries | 11,851 | 9,200 | +28.8% | 3.2% |
| 9 | Denmark | 10,735 | 9,882 | +8.6% | 2.9% |
| 10 | Switzerland (incl. Liechtenstein) | 9,192 | 9,328 | -1.5% | 2.5% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for June 2017:
| Region | Occupancy 2017 | Occupancy 2016 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 87.5% | 88.3% | -0.8 pp |
| Total | 80.9% | 81.5% | -0.6 pp |
| South | 76.9% | 73.8% | +3.1 pp |
| Reykjanes | 74.5% | 86.3% | -11.8 pp |
| North | 72.5% | 69.7% | +2.8 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 72.1% | 73.9% | -1.8 pp |
| East | 65.0% | 73.3% | -8.3 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in June 2017 was 27,799.57 million ISK (27.80 billion ISK), compared to 26,111.83 million ISK in June 2016.
This represents a +6.5% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 24,115 overnight stays in hotels in June 2017, down 13.8% from 27,963 in 2016.
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