Summary
May 2016 was part of Iceland's late spring, transitioning into high season as weather improves. Foreign guests recorded 249,063 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 189,031 in May 2015—a +31.8% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 65.1%, up 4.2 percentage points from 60.9% in 2015. Foreign card spending totaled 19.9 billion ISK (+50.6% YoY).
May 2016 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through May, reached 1,128,266, up 35.1% on the same period of 2015. Within 2016, May ranked 9th of the twelve months by foreign nights. Against the average for May over the five preceding years, this month came in ahead by 85.8%.
United States of America was the largest source market with 26.8% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 54.6%. Hotel occupancy of 65.1% means that share of available rooms was sold across the month; this is a healthy shoulder-season level with capacity still available outside the capital. 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 2016, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2016 | Nights 2015 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States of America | 66,833 | 40,163 | +66.4% | 26.8% |
| 2 | Germany | 36,883 | 32,662 | +12.9% | 14.8% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 32,341 | 24,395 | +32.6% | 13.0% |
| 4 | Sweden | 14,812 | 14,210 | +4.2% | 5.9% |
| 5 | Norway | 12,731 | 10,109 | +25.9% | 5.1% |
| 6 | France | 12,491 | 8,863 | +40.9% | 5.0% |
| 7 | Denmark | 11,234 | 6,754 | +66.3% | 4.5% |
| 8 | Canada | 8,979 | 5,132 | +75.0% | 3.6% |
| 9 | Netherlands | 7,532 | 6,690 | +12.6% | 3.0% |
| 10 | Other Asian countries | 5,663 | 7,096 | -20.2% | 2.3% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for May 2016:
| Region | Occupancy 2016 | Occupancy 2015 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 79.4% | 75.0% | +4.4 pp |
| Total | 65.1% | 60.9% | +4.2 pp |
| South | 52.8% | 44.3% | +8.5 pp |
| Reykjanes | 51.1% | 71.5% | -20.4 pp |
| North | 45.2% | 41.2% | +4.0 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 45.1% | 43.4% | +1.7 pp |
| East | 40.2% | 35.5% | +4.7 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in May 2016 was 19,871.13 million ISK (19.87 billion ISK), compared to 13,192.96 million ISK in May 2015.
This represents a +50.6% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 33,646 overnight stays in hotels in May 2016, up 7.2% from 31,392 in 2015.
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