Summary
May 2011 was part of Iceland's late spring, transitioning into high season as weather improves. Foreign guests recorded 97,368 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 83,923 in May 2010—a +16.0% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 49.7%, up 5.3 percentage points from 44.4% in 2010. Foreign card spending totaled 5.0 billion ISK (+51.6% YoY).
May 2011 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through May, reached 353,335, up 11.4% on the same period of 2010. Within 2011, 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 11.7%.
Norway was the largest source market with 14.4% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 40.3%. Hotel occupancy of 49.7% 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 2011, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2011 | Nights 2010 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 14,032 | 10,936 | +28.3% | 14.4% |
| 2 | Germany | 13,655 | 14,342 | -4.8% | 14.0% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 11,599 | 14,081 | -17.6% | 11.9% |
| 4 | United States of America | 11,258 | 7,885 | +42.8% | 11.6% |
| 5 | Sweden | 8,522 | 6,776 | +25.8% | 8.8% |
| 6 | Denmark | 8,128 | 7,638 | +6.4% | 8.3% |
| 7 | Netherlands | 5,626 | 4,642 | +21.2% | 5.8% |
| 8 | Other European countries | 5,412 | 4,074 | +32.8% | 5.6% |
| 9 | France | 4,331 | 4,517 | -4.1% | 4.4% |
| 10 | Finland | 2,947 | 1,072 | +174.9% | 3.0% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for May 2011:
| Region | Occupancy 2011 | Occupancy 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 60.3% | 51.3% | +9.0 pp |
| Reykjanes | 56.3% | 38.6% | +17.7 pp |
| Total | 49.7% | 44.4% | +5.3 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 35.0% | 26.9% | +8.1 pp |
| South | 31.8% | 36.0% | -4.2 pp |
| North | 30.9% | 32.1% | -1.2 pp |
| East | 29.5% | 34.9% | -5.4 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in May 2011 was 5,047.54 million ISK (5.05 billion ISK), compared to 3,330.13 million ISK in May 2010.
This represents a +51.6% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 23,154 overnight stays in hotels in May 2011, up 3.3% from 22,422 in 2010.
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