Summary
May 2019 was part of Iceland's late spring, transitioning into high season as weather improves. Foreign guests recorded 276,749 overnight stays in hotels, compared to 274,038 in May 2018—a +1.0% change year-over-year.
National hotel occupancy stood at 55.7%, down 2.5 percentage points from 58.2% in 2018. Foreign card spending totaled 18.8 billion ISK (-11.6% YoY).
May 2019 in context
Foreign hotel nights for the year to date, January through May, reached 1,422,857, down 0.5% on the same period of 2018. Within 2019, 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 23.3%.
United States of America was the largest source market with 31.3% of foreign hotel nights, and the top three markets together accounted for 51.5%. Hotel occupancy of 55.7% 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 2019, ranked by overnight stays:
| Rank | Market | Nights 2019 | Nights 2018 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States of America | 86,716 | 94,205 | -7.9% | 31.3% |
| 2 | Germany | 29,746 | 30,995 | -4.0% | 10.7% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 26,035 | 28,435 | -8.4% | 9.4% |
| 4 | China | 14,424 | 12,647 | +14.1% | 5.2% |
| 5 | France | 11,632 | 12,909 | -9.9% | 4.2% |
| 6 | Sweden | 10,731 | 8,918 | +20.3% | 3.9% |
| 7 | Norway | 10,509 | 7,350 | +43.0% | 3.8% |
| 8 | Denmark | 10,353 | 6,821 | +51.8% | 3.7% |
| 9 | Netherlands | 9,661 | 8,622 | +12.1% | 3.5% |
| 10 | Canada | 8,223 | 9,526 | -13.7% | 3.0% |
Hotel Occupancy by Region
Regional hotel occupancy rates for May 2019:
| Region | Occupancy 2019 | Occupancy 2018 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | 66.6% | 63.9% | +2.7 pp |
| Total | 55.7% | 58.2% | -2.5 pp |
| Reykjanes | 53.1% | 74.2% | -21.1 pp |
| South | 47.0% | 56.4% | -9.4 pp |
| East | 44.8% | 36.6% | +8.2 pp |
| North | 42.5% | 40.6% | +1.9 pp |
| West & Westfjords | 39.7% | 50.7% | -11.0 pp |
Foreign Card Spending
Total foreign card turnover in May 2019 was 18,779.59 million ISK (18.78 billion ISK), compared to 21,238.18 million ISK in May 2018.
This represents a -11.6% year-over-year change. Despite growth in overnight stays in hotels, spending declined—possibly reflecting lower per-visitor expenditure or shifts in spending patterns.
Domestic Tourism
Icelandic residents recorded 38,266 overnight stays in hotels in May 2019, down 12.3% from 43,651 in 2018.
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