Overnight stays in all registered accommodation in October were 649,300, compared with 586,500 in October last year. Overnight stays in hotels and guesthouses were 490,900, while other overnight stays such as in apartments, youth hostels, campsites etc. were 158,400. There was a 10.7% increase in the number of registered overnight stays in October between years, thereof an 8% increase in hotels and guesthouses, and a 20% increase in other types of accommodation.
Publication on the estimated number of overnight stays in October through websites such as Airbnb and on the estimated number of unpaid overnight stays is postponed. The methodology for calculating these numbers is being reviewed and data will be updated as soon as possible.
8% increase in overnight stays in hotels in October
Overnight stays in hotels in October 2018 were 397,900, which is an 8% increase from October last year. Around 56% of all overnight stays were in the Capital region, or 224,600.
Nights spent by foreign tourists were 360,900, which accounted for 91% of the total number of overnight stays in October. USA residents had the greatest number of overnight stays (125,700), then residents of UK (63,300) and Germany (22,700). Overnight stays of Icelanders in October were 37,000. Data on nationality of visitors are currently under review. While data for nationalities may be subject to change, this is not expected to affect the total number of overnight stays.
Over the most recent 12 month period, from November 2017 to October 2018, the total number of overnight stays in hotels was 4,458,000, which is a 5% increase from the previous 12 months.
| Overnight stays in hotels | ||||||
| October | November–October | |||||
| 2017 | 2018 | % | 2016-2017 | 2017-2018 | % | |
| Total | 368,224 | 397,902 | 8 | 4,259,560 | 4,457,847 | 5 |
| Capital region | 225,918 | 224,602 | -1 | 2,606,380 | 2,608,312 | 0 |
| Southwest | 26,036 | 29,368 | 13 | 294,589 | 313,457 | 6 |
| West and Westfjords | 16,752 | 23,819 | 42 | 191,310 | 242,378 | 27 |
| Northwest and Northeast | 23,415 | 31,850 | 36 | 294,819 | 317,106 | 8 |
| East | 7,477 | 8,362 | 12 | 108,183 | 102,249 | -5 |
| South | 68,626 | 79,901 | 16 | 764,279 | 874,345 | 14 |
| Icelanders | 41,950 | 36,972 | -12 | 406,368 | 451,966 | 11 |
| Foreign visitors | 326,274 | 360,930 | 11 | 3,853,192 | 4,005,881 | 4 |
70.5% occupancy rate for bedrooms in October
Occupancy rate for bedrooms in hotels was 70.5% in October 2018 and increased by 0.3 percentage points from October 2017, when it was 70.2%. Over the same period, the number of hotel bedrooms has increased by 7.7%. The occupancy rate for bedrooms in October was highest in the Southwest, or 83.0%.
Revision of statistics
After a re-evaluation where other data sources (such as VAT) were taken into account, the number of unpaid overnight stays in cars has been re-estimated. This affects the figures for 2017 and 2018. Estimates of overnight stays are continually reviewed as new information becomes available.
Numbers for 2018 are preliminary.