Summary
May 2017 was part of Iceland's late spring, transitioning into high season as weather improves. Foreign guests recorded 265,946 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 249,063 in May 2016—a +6.8% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 62.2%, down 2.9 percentage points from 65.1% in 2016. Foreign card spending totaled 21.6 billion ISK (+8.8% YoY).
May 2017 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through May, reached 1,404,813, up 24.5% on the same period of 2016. Within 2017, May ranked 10th of the twelve months by foreign nights. Against the average for May over the five preceding years, this month came in ahead by 61.8%.
United States of America was the largest source market with 32.1% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 56.0%. Hotel occupancy of 62.2% 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 2017, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2017 | Nights 2016 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States of America | 85,500 | 66,833 | +27.9% | 32.1% |
| 2 | Germany | 34,510 | 36,883 | -6.4% | 13.0% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 28,809 | 32,341 | -10.9% | 10.8% |
| 4 | France | 14,038 | 12,491 | +12.4% | 5.3% |
| 5 | Sweden | 11,013 | 14,812 | -25.6% | 4.1% |
| 6 | China | 9,744 | 5,640 | +72.8% | 3.7% |
| 7 | Canada | 8,881 | 8,979 | -1.1% | 3.3% |
| 8 | Norway | 8,599 | 12,731 | -32.5% | 3.2% |
| 9 | Denmark | 7,913 | 11,234 | -29.6% | 3.0% |
| 10 | Netherlands | 7,769 | 7,532 | +3.1% | 2.9% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for May 2017:
| Region | Occupancy 2017 | Occupancy 2016 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 70.6% | 79.4% | -8.8 pp |
| Reykjanes | 64.0% | 51.1% | +12.9 pp |
| Total | 62.2% | 65.1% | -2.9 pp |
| South | 54.1% | 52.8% | +1.3 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 51.4% | 45.1% | +6.3 pp |
| North | 51.3% | 45.2% | +6.1 pp |
| East | 37.9% | 40.2% | -2.3 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in May 2017 was 21,626.46 million ISK (21.63 billion ISK), compared to 19,871.13 million ISK in May 2016.
This represents a +8.8% year-over-year change.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 38,506 overnight stays in hotels in May 2017, up 14.4% from 33,646 in 2016.
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