Summary
June 2026 was part of Iceland's peak summer season, characterized by midnight sun and maximum tourist activity. Foreign guests recorded 480,084 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 485,938 in June 2025—a -1.2% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 77.5%, down 2.2 percentage points from 79.7% in 2025. Foreign card spending totaled 41.6 billion ISK (+4.1% YoY).
June 2026 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through June, reached 2,158,145, up 1.0% on the same period of 2025. Against the average for June over the five preceding years (excluding the pandemic years 2020 and 2021), this month came in ahead by 11.5%. Compared with June 2019, the last full year before the pandemic, foreign nights were up 25.6%.
United States of America was the largest source market with 35.6% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 52.5%. Hotel occupancy of 77.5% 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 2026, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2026 | Nights 2025 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States of America | 171,135 | 188,239 | -9.1% | 35.6% |
| 2 | Germany | 47,213 | 56,919 | -17.1% | 9.8% |
| 3 | China | 33,751 | 25,874 | +30.4% | 7.0% |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 26,823 | 28,031 | -4.3% | 5.6% |
| 5 | France | 22,614 | 22,056 | +2.5% | 4.7% |
| 6 | Canada | 18,921 | 16,996 | +11.3% | 3.9% |
| 7 | Netherlands | 15,217 | 15,578 | -2.3% | 3.2% |
| 8 | Other Asian countries | 14,405 | 13,666 | +5.4% | 3.0% |
| 9 | Italy | 14,054 | 13,223 | +6.3% | 2.9% |
| 10 | Spain | 13,207 | 11,579 | +14.1% | 2.8% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for June 2026:
| Region | Occupancy 2026 | Occupancy 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| South | 82.2% | 83.9% | -1.7 pp |
| East | 80.4% | 77.2% | +3.2 pp |
| Capital Region | 78.2% | 81.6% | -3.4 pp |
| Total | 77.5% | 79.7% | -2.2 pp |
| Reykjanes | 77.0% | 77.7% | -0.7 pp |
| North | 71.3% | 74.6% | -3.3 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 67.5% | 68.3% | -0.8 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in June 2026 was 41,618.3 million ISK (41.62 billion ISK), compared to 39,966.82 million ISK in June 2025.
This represents a +4.1% year-over-year change. Spending increased even as overnight stays declined, suggesting higher per-visitor expenditure.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 48,378 overnight stays in hotels in June 2026, down 0.4% from 48,595 in 2025.
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