Summary
May 2006 was part of Iceland's late spring, transitioning into high season as weather improves. Foreign guests recorded 81,878 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 66,712 in May 2005—a +22.7% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 56.1%, up 5.9 percentage points from 50.2% in 2005. Foreign card spending totaled 1.7 billion ISK (+33.8% YoY).
May 2006 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through May, reached 251,388, up 11.1% on the same period of 2005. Within 2006, 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 37.1%.
United Kingdom was the largest source market with 18.0% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 43.9%. Hotel occupancy of 56.1% 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 2006, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2006 | Nights 2005 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Kingdom | 14,739 | 12,113 | +21.7% | 18.0% |
| 2 | United States of America | 11,750 | 9,542 | +23.1% | 14.4% |
| 3 | Sweden | 9,479 | 8,431 | +12.4% | 11.6% |
| 4 | Germany | 8,482 | 8,070 | +5.1% | 10.4% |
| 5 | Denmark | 8,277 | 6,614 | +25.1% | 10.1% |
| 6 | Norway | 7,594 | 5,453 | +39.3% | 9.3% |
| 7 | Other European countries | 4,836 | 2,814 | +71.9% | 5.9% |
| 8 | Netherlands | 3,020 | 2,292 | +31.8% | 3.7% |
| 9 | France | 2,946 | 2,609 | +12.9% | 3.6% |
| 10 | Finland | 2,851 | 1,912 | +49.1% | 3.5% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for May 2006:
| Region | Occupancy 2006 | Occupancy 2005 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 71.9% | 62.2% | +9.7 pp |
| Total | 56.1% | 50.2% | +5.9 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 39.8% | 39.2% | +0.6 pp |
| East | 35.8% | 46.9% | -11.1 pp |
| North | 34.4% | 32.3% | +2.1 pp |
| South | 32.9% | 29.2% | +3.7 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in May 2006 was 1,676.24 million ISK (1.68 billion ISK), compared to 1,252.94 million ISK in May 2005.
This represents a +33.8% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 19,551 overnight stays in hotels in May 2006, down 4.6% from 20,490 in 2005.
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