Employment in the tourism industry in Iceland was 29,612 in May 2024, almost the same number as in May 2023. In the 12-month period from June 2023 to May 2024, an average of 29,382 individuals worked in the tourism industry compared with 27,558 in the previous 12-month period.
Turnover according to VAT reports in Icelandic tourism sectors was 129.5 billion ISK in March to April 2024, an increase of almost 7% from the previous year. Change in the 12-month period from May 2023 to April 2024 is a 14% increase compared with the same period the previous year.
Overnight stays in hotels in May 2024 were 385,759 compared with 415,050 in May the year before. The number of overnight stays by Icelanders were 80,911 (+2%) and the number of overnight stays by foreign guests were 304,848 (-9%). More information about overnight stays can be found on Statistics Iceland‘s website under the category Tourism.
In June, there were 277,672 departures of passengers from Keflavik airport compared with 288,593 in June 2023. Departures of passengers with foreign citizenship were 212,391 (-9%) compared with 233,912 a year earlier.
This release includes updated statistics on turnover by VAT reports, overnight stays and register based employment. Also updated are statistics on rental cars from the Icelandic Transport Authority, traffic statistics from the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration, passengers count by nationality from the Icelandic Tourist Board and passengers’ statistics through Keflavik Airport along with traffic statistics published by ISAVIA.