Overnight stays in all accommodation in January 2019 were 543,000, compared with 566,000 in January last year. Overnight stays in hotels and guesthouses were 323,000, overnight stays in apartments, youth hostels, campsites etc. were 116,000, and overnight stays through websites such as Airbnb were approximately 104,000. There was a 4.1% decrease in the total number of overnight stays in January between years, thereof a 4.5% decrease for hotels and guesthouses, 0.9% decrease in other types of accommodation and a 6% decrease in private accommodation through Airbnb etc. Additionally, overnight stays in cars other than at campsites were 6,000 and the number of overnight stays with friends and relatives, through exchanges or in other places where no payment was made, was 16,000.
Fewer overnight stays in hotels in the Capital, South and Southwest regions
Overnight stays in hotels in January 2019 were 266,400, which is an 8% decrease from January last year. There was a decrease in overnight stays in hotels in the Capital, South and Southwest regions, but an increase in other areas. Around 70% of all overnight stays were in the Capital region, or 187,300.
Over the most recent 12 month period, from February 2018 to January 2019, the total number of overnight stays in hotels was 4,449,000, which is a 4% increase from the previous 12 months.
| Overnight stays in hotels | ||||||
| January | February-January | |||||
| 2018 | 2019 | % | 2017-2018 | 2018-2019 | % | |
| Total | 290,456 | 266,353 | -8 | 4,272,421 | 4,448,767 | 4 |
| Capital region | 204,265 | 187,315 | -8 | 2,591,331 | 2,573,668 | -1 |
| Southwest | 18,423 | 17,864 | -3 | 299,544 | 306,457 | 2 |
| West and Westfjords | 7,042 | 7,904 | 12 | 191,722 | 247,320 | 29 |
| Northwest and Northeast | 10,496 | 10,577 | 1 | 301,566 | 321,797 | 7 |
| East | 1,541 | 1,655 | 7 | 108,323 | 102,630 | -5 |
| South | 48,689 | 41,038 | -16 | 779,935 | 896,895 | 15 |
| Citizenship | ||||||
| Icelanders | 27,163 | 23,508 | -13 | 409,767 | 455,099 | 11 |
| Foreign visitors | 263,293 | 242,845 | -8 | 3,862,654 | 3,993,668 | 3 |
Occupancy rate for bedrooms in hotels was 49.9% in January 2019 and decreased by 5.9 percentage points from January 2018, when it was 55.8%. Over the same period, the number of hotel bedrooms has increased by 2.1%. The occupancy rate for bedrooms in January was highest in the Capital area, or 66.3%.
| Supply and occupancy rates of hotel bedrooms | ||||||
| Number of Hotel bedrooms in January | Room occupancy rate in January | |||||
| 2018 | 2019 | % | 2018 | 2019 | pp | |
| Total | 9,454 | 9,649 | 2.1% | 55.8% | 49.9% | -5.9 |
| Capital region | 4,984 | 5,085 | 2.0% | 73.4% | 66.3% | -7.2 |
| Southwest | 634 | 634 | 0.0% | 54.7% | 50.1% | -4.6 |
| West and Westfjords | 585 | 649 | 10.9% | 21.9% | 22.3% | 0.4 |
| North | 936 | 980 | 4.7% | 21.2% | 20.4% | -0.7 |
| East | 264 | 229 | -13.3% | 11.7% | 13.9% | 2.2 |
| South | 2,051 | 2,072 | 1.0% | 44.3% | 36.3% | -8 |
Nights spent by foreign tourists in hotels were 242,800, which accounted for 91% of the total number of overnight stays in January. UK residents had the greatest number of overnight stays (81,300), then residents of the USA (57,200) and China (20,200). Overnight stays of Icelanders in January were 23,500.
Numbers for 2018 and 2019 are preliminary.