Summary
May 2005 was part of Iceland's late spring, transitioning into high season as weather improves. Foreign guests recorded 66,712 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 64,303 in May 2004—a +3.7% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 50.2%, up 1.2 percentage points from 49.0% in 2004. Foreign card spending totaled 1.3 billion ISK (+29.8% YoY).
May 2005 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through May, reached 226,324, down 0.0% on the same period of 2004. Within 2005, May ranked 5th of the twelve months by foreign nights. Against the average for May over the five preceding years, this month came in ahead by 19.3%.
United Kingdom was the largest source market with 18.2% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 45.1%. Hotel occupancy of 50.2% means that share of available rooms was sold across the month; this is typical of Iceland's low season, when many rural hotels close and demand concentrates in Reykjavík. 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 May 2005, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2005 | Nights 2004 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Kingdom | 12,113 | 10,873 | +11.4% | 18.2% |
| 2 | United States of America | 9,542 | 9,773 | -2.4% | 14.3% |
| 3 | Sweden | 8,431 | 6,837 | +23.3% | 12.6% |
| 4 | Germany | 8,070 | 8,370 | -3.6% | 12.1% |
| 5 | Denmark | 6,614 | 6,771 | -2.3% | 9.9% |
| 6 | Norway | 5,453 | 5,196 | +4.9% | 8.2% |
| 7 | Other European countries | 2,814 | 4,605 | -38.9% | 4.2% |
| 8 | France | 2,609 | 2,142 | +21.8% | 3.9% |
| 9 | Netherlands | 2,292 | 2,258 | +1.5% | 3.4% |
| 10 | Finland | 1,912 | 1,839 | +4.0% | 2.9% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for May 2005:
| Region | Occupancy 2005 | Occupancy 2004 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 62.2% | 60.3% | +1.9 pp |
| Total | 50.2% | 49.0% | +1.2 pp |
| East | 46.9% | 49.1% | -2.2 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 39.2% | 41.7% | -2.5 pp |
| North | 32.3% | 31.5% | +0.8 pp |
| South | 29.2% | 30.7% | -1.5 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in May 2005 was 1,252.94 million ISK (1.25 billion ISK), compared to 965.6 million ISK in May 2004.
This represents a +29.8% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 20,490 overnight stays in hotels in May 2005, up 12.4% from 18,225 in 2004.
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