Summary
June 2019 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 382,156 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 376,622 in June 2018—a +1.5% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 71.9%, down 5.4 percentage points from 77.3% in 2018. Foreign card spending totaled 24.9 billion ISK (-10.8% YoY).
June 2019 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through June, reached 1,805,013, down 0.1% on the same period of 2018. Within 2019, June ranked 4th of the twelve months by foreign nights. Against the average for June over the five preceding years, this month came in ahead by 22.1%.
United States of America was the largest source market with 33.3% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 53.1%. Hotel occupancy of 71.9% 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 2019, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2019 | Nights 2018 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States of America | 127,163 | 133,829 | -5.0% | 33.3% |
| 2 | Germany | 46,170 | 44,992 | +2.6% | 12.1% |
| 3 | China | 29,738 | 24,833 | +19.8% | 7.8% |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 29,440 | 31,866 | -7.6% | 7.7% |
| 5 | France | 18,534 | 19,137 | -3.2% | 4.8% |
| 6 | Denmark | 11,509 | 8,532 | +34.9% | 3.0% |
| 7 | Spain | 10,464 | 8,672 | +20.7% | 2.7% |
| 8 | Canada | 9,950 | 11,267 | -11.7% | 2.6% |
| 9 | Sweden | 9,615 | 9,225 | +4.2% | 2.5% |
| 10 | Netherlands | 9,461 | 8,250 | +14.7% | 2.5% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for June 2019:
| Region | Occupancy 2019 | Occupancy 2018 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjanes | 80.0% | 83.3% | -3.3 pp |
| Capital Region | 77.6% | 83.2% | -5.6 pp |
| Total | 71.9% | 77.3% | -5.4 pp |
| South | 67.3% | 74.5% | -7.2 pp |
| East | 66.4% | 60.2% | +6.2 pp |
| North | 63.5% | 65.1% | -1.6 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 57.2% | 69.4% | -12.2 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in June 2019 was 24,945.84 million ISK (24.95 billion ISK), compared to 27,959.69 million ISK in June 2018.
This represents a -10.8% year-over-year change. Despite growth in overnight stays in hotels, spending declined—possibly reflecting lower per-visitor expenditure or shifts in spending patterns.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 38,164 overnight stays in hotels in June 2019, down 10.3% from 42,551 in 2018.
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