The number of overnight stays in Iceland in October 2021 nearly sevenfolded compared with the same month last year. Thereof, overnight stays in hotels increased almost ninefold and around quadrupled in guesthouses and other types of accommodation (apartments, cottages, etc.). Compared with October 2019, there has been a 16% decrease in overnight stays. Thereof, there was a 13% decrease in hotels, 34% decrease in guesthouses and 11% decrease in other types of accommodation.
Overnight stays in all accommodation in October 2021 were 551,000 compared with 84,000 in October the previous year. Icelanders accounted for 27% of all overnight stays, or 146,000 but were 50,000 last year. Foreign visitors accounted for 73%, or 405,000 compared with 34,000 a year ago. Overnight stays in hotels and guesthouses were 424,000 (thereof 360,300 in hotels) and 127.000 overnight stays were in other types of accommodation.
The number of hotel bedrooms increased by 44% in October 2021 compared with October the year before. Occupancy rate for hotel rooms was 62.2% in October 2021, which is an increase of 51.4 percentage points from October 2020.
There were 360,300 overnight stays in hotels in October and their number increased in all regions from October 2020. The greatest increase was in the Capital region and the South.
| Overnight stays, supply and occupancy in hotels | ||||||
| October | November - October | |||||
| Overnight stays in hotels | 2020 | 2021 | % | 2019-2020 | 2020-2021 | % |
| Total | 38,778 | 360,281 | 829% | 2,079,958 | 2,052,039 | -1% |
| Capital region | 14,033 | 191,554 | 1265% | 1,127,470 | 882,902 | -22% |
| Southwest | 6,826 | 35,158 | 415% | 156,085 | 193,359 | 24% |
| West and Westfjords | 4,042 | 21,112 | 422% | 137,430 | 168,914 | 23% |
| Northwest and Northeast | 5,342 | 28,875 | 441% | 189,437 | 266,938 | 41% |
| East | 1,381 | 7,896 | 472% | 60,837 | 77,997 | 28% |
| South | 7,154 | 75,686 | 958% | 408,699 | 461,929 | 13% |
| Citizenship | ||||||
| Icelanders | 26,998 | 94,898 | 252% | 578,850 | 751,174 | 30% |
| Foreign visitors | 11,780 | 265,383 | 2153% | 1,501,108 | 1,300,865 | -13% |
| Number of hotel rooms in October | Room occupancy rate in October | |||||
| Supply and occupancy rates of hotel rooms | 2020 | 2021 | % | 2020 | 2021 | pp |
| Total | 7,551 | 10,886 | 44% | 10.8% | 62.2% | 51.3 |
| Capital region | 3,032 | 5,112 | 69% | 10.2% | 72.1% | 61.9 |
| Southwest | 853 | 989 | 16% | 19.3% | 66.4% | 47.1 |
| West and Westfjords | 687 | 857 | 25% | 11.0% | 43.9% | 32.9 |
| Northwest and Northeast | 874 | 1,233 | 41% | 11.8% | 46.4% | 34.6 |
| East | 251 | 392 | 56% | 12.9% | 37.1% | 24.2 |
| South | 1,854 | 2,303 | 24% | 7.2% | 57.9% | 50.6 |
Overnight stays of Icelanders in hotels were 94,900, or 26% of overnight stays in hotels, whereas overnight stays of foreign tourists were 265,000, or 74%.
In the 12-month period from November 2020 to October 2021, the number of overnight stays in hotels was 2,052,000, which is a 1% decrease from the prior 12-month period. There was an increase in all regions except the Capital region where there was a 22% decrease.
Methods
Data collection for the border study managed by Statistics Iceland and the Icelandic Tourist Board resumed in June after a break due to Covid-19. 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 monthswinter.
All numbers for 2021 are preliminary, except for hotel data which is preliminary for October 2021. 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.