Summary
May 2013 was part of Iceland's late spring, transitioning into high season as weather improves. Foreign guests recorded 127,420 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 112,359 in May 2012—a +13.4% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 57.1%, up 3.7 percentage points from 53.4% in 2012. Foreign card spending totaled 7.1 billion ISK (+21.3% YoY).
May 2013 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through May, reached 556,800, up 23.9% on the same period of 2012. Within 2013, May ranked 6th of the twelve months by foreign nights. Against the average for May over the five preceding years, this month came in ahead by 34.8%.
Germany was the largest source market with 16.6% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 46.9%. Hotel occupancy of 57.1% 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 2013, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2013 | Nights 2012 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 21,182 | 13,720 | +54.4% | 16.6% |
| 2 | United States of America | 20,522 | 19,504 | +5.2% | 16.1% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 18,081 | 17,142 | +5.5% | 14.2% |
| 4 | Norway | 13,443 | 12,289 | +9.4% | 10.6% |
| 5 | Sweden | 8,566 | 9,190 | -6.8% | 6.7% |
| 6 | France | 8,453 | 5,287 | +59.9% | 6.6% |
| 7 | Denmark | 5,792 | 7,408 | -21.8% | 4.5% |
| 8 | Netherlands | 3,590 | 5,011 | -28.4% | 2.8% |
| 9 | Finland | 3,372 | 2,972 | +13.5% | 2.6% |
| 10 | Canada | 3,196 | 3,259 | -1.9% | 2.5% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for May 2013:
| Region | Occupancy 2013 | Occupancy 2012 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 71.3% | 67.5% | +3.8 pp |
| Reykjanes | 58.2% | 45.3% | +12.9 pp |
| Total | 57.1% | 53.4% | +3.7 pp |
| North | 38.2% | 30.9% | +7.3 pp |
| South | 38.2% | 34.1% | +4.1 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 34.2% | 28.8% | +5.4 pp |
| East | 27.7% | 32.9% | -5.2 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in May 2013 was 7,092.8 million ISK (7.09 billion ISK), compared to 5,847.95 million ISK in May 2012.
This represents a +21.3% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 33,137 overnight stays in hotels in May 2013, up 21.9% from 27,182 in 2012.
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