Summary
May 2010 was part of Iceland's late spring, transitioning into high season as weather improves. Foreign guests recorded 83,923 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 89,151 in May 2009—a -5.9% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 44.4%, down 5.1 percentage points from 49.5% in 2009. Foreign card spending totaled 3.3 billion ISK (-7.8% YoY).
May 2010 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through May, reached 317,262, up 1.5% on the same period of 2009. Within 2010, 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 0.2%.
Germany was the largest source market with 17.1% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 46.9%. Hotel occupancy of 44.4% 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 2010, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2010 | Nights 2009 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 14,342 | 10,072 | +42.4% | 17.1% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 14,081 | 16,921 | -16.8% | 16.8% |
| 3 | Norway | 10,936 | 9,338 | +17.1% | 13.0% |
| 4 | United States of America | 7,885 | 10,197 | -22.7% | 9.4% |
| 5 | Denmark | 7,638 | 6,645 | +14.9% | 9.1% |
| 6 | Sweden | 6,776 | 10,029 | -32.4% | 8.1% |
| 7 | Netherlands | 4,642 | 4,965 | -6.5% | 5.5% |
| 8 | France | 4,517 | 2,838 | +59.2% | 5.4% |
| 9 | Other European countries | 4,074 | 4,310 | -5.5% | 4.9% |
| 10 | Canada | 1,395 | 1,640 | -14.9% | 1.7% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for May 2010:
| Region | Occupancy 2010 | Occupancy 2009 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 51.3% | 59.3% | -8.0 pp |
| Total | 44.4% | 49.5% | -5.1 pp |
| Reykjanes | 38.6% | 43.6% | -5.0 pp |
| South | 36.0% | 35.6% | +0.4 pp |
| East | 34.9% | 31.9% | +3.0 pp |
| North | 32.1% | 34.4% | -2.3 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 26.9% | 30.6% | -3.7 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in May 2010 was 3,330.13 million ISK (3.33 billion ISK), compared to 3,610.04 million ISK in May 2009.
This represents a -7.8% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 22,422 overnight stays in hotels in May 2010, down 18.0% from 27,349 in 2009.
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