In May 2022, there were 557,700 overnight stays in Iceland compared with 190,100 in May 2021. Domestic overnight stays were 21% thereof, or 119,700, and the foreign were 438,000 (79%). Overnight stays in hotels and guesthouses were 423,900 (thereof 327,700 in hotels), while 133,800 were in other types of accommodation (apartments, cottages, etc.).
Overnight stays 2020-2022
There were 327,700 overnight stays in hotels in May, characterised by an increase in all regions from May 2021. The greatest increase was in the Capital region. Overnight stays of Icelanders in hotels were 69,600, or 21% of overnight stays in hotels, whereas overnight stays of foreign travellers were 258,200, or 79%.
Overnight stays in hotels
In the 12-month period from June 2021 to May 2022, the number of overnight stays in hotels was 3,563,400, which is an almost fourfold increase from the prior 12-month period. There was a marked increase in all regions.
Hotel bedroom supply and occupancy
The number of hotel bedrooms increased by 52% in May 2022 compared with May the year before. Occupancy rate for hotel rooms was 53.7%, which is an increase of 28.2 percentage points from May 2021.
Methods
Data collection for the border study managed by Statistics Iceland and the Icelandic Tourist Board resumed in June after a break due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Methodology for estimating unpaid overnight stays and overnight stays in home accommodation through peer-to-peer websites is currently under review and is expected to be reintroduced in the coming months.
All numbers for 2022 are preliminary, except for hotel data which is preliminary for May 2022. Due to abrupt changes in supply and occupancy rates, estimation for other types of accommodation than hotels is currently subject to a higher degree of uncertainty than usual and should therefore be taken with a special precaution until final numbers are available.