Estimated overnight stays in hotels were 37,000 in October, which is a 91% decrease compared with October last year. Thereof 26,000 overnight stays were paid by Icelanders (-35%) and 11,000 by foreigners (-97%).
VAT turnover in key tourism sectors in July - August was 68 billion ISK and decreased by 67% from the same period the year before when it was 149 billion ISK. In the last 12 months VAT turnover has decreased by 38% in key tourism sectors.
17,000 employees were working in key tourism sectors in September compared with a little over 29,000 the same month last year (-42%).
This release includes updated statistics on overnight stays along with VAT turnover and employees in key tourism sectors. Also updated are statistics on rental cars from the Icelandic Transport Authority, traffic statistics from the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration and passenger count from the Icelandic Tourist Board and ISAVIA through Keflavik Airport along with traffic statistics for Keflavik Airport.
| Tourism short-term indicators September 2020 | September | October - september | ||||
| Overnight stays | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % |
| Total overnight stays1 | 1727864 | 261874 | -85% | 8386491 | 4381823 | -48% |
| Hotels and guesthouses | 585921 | 85551 | -85% | 5759874 | 3086264 | -46% |
| Airbnb and similar sites | 240000 | 32000 | -87% | .. | .. | |
| Other types of unpaid accommodation | 79000 | 20000 | -75% | .. | .. | |
| Other types of listed accommodation2 | 822943 | 124323 | -85% | 2626617 | 1295559 | -51% |
| September | October - september | |||||
| Occupancy rate of hotel rooms | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % |
| Total overnight stays in hotels | 434206 | 64277 | -85% | 4485179 | 2460613 | -45% |
| Available hotel rooms | 11232 | 8087 | -28% | .. | .. | |
| Occupancy rate | 74% | 16% | -58 | 65% | 38% | -27 |
| October | ||||||
| Experimental statistics - Overnight stays in hotels | 2019 (actual) | 2020 (estimated) | % | |||
| Overnight stays in hotels | 419000 | 37000 | -91% | 4505471 | 2079008 | -54% |
| – Iceland | 40000 | 26000 | -35% | 431130 | 578599 | 34% |
| – Foreigners | 379000 | 11000 | -97% | 4074341 | 1500409 | -63% |
| Q2 | Q3-Q2 | |||||
| External trade in services (million ISK) | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % |
| Revenue from non-Icelandic tourists | 118402 | 11724 | -90% | 508852 | 332695 | -35% |
| – Passanger transport by air | 36491 | 4614 | -87% | 167899 | 100403 | -40% |
| – Travel / Consumption | 81911 | 7109 | -91% | 340953 | 232293 | -32% |
| July - August | September - August | |||||
| VAT turnover3 (million ISK) | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % |
| Tourism industries | 149382 | 57842 | -61% | 632002 | 391805 | -38% |
| – Passenger flights | 52197 | 16980 | -68% | 234525 | 143587 | -39% |
| – Accommodation | 28184 | 10060 | -64% | 101720 | 57918 | -43% |
| – Catering and services | 20258 | 15443 | -24% | 100932 | 83476 | -17% |
| – Travel agents and planners (abroad) | 12118 | 8469 | -30% | 50505 | 36049 | -29% |
| – Travel agents and planners (in Iceland) | 3502 | 318 | -91% | 17002 | 8178 | -52% |
| – Car rentals | 25826 | 5053 | -80% | 99366 | 48299 | -51% |
| – Passenger transport on land | 5188 | 835 | -84% | 22619 | 11984 | -47% |
| – Passenger water transport | 2108 | 685 | -68% | 5332 | 2315 | -57% |
| September | Average employees October - September | |||||
| Register based employment | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % |
| Tourism industries | 29450 | 17010 | -42% | 28419 | 22503 | -21% |
| – Air transport | 4774 | 2692 | -44% | 4764 | 3826 | -20% |
| – Accommodation | 7721 | 3525 | -54% | 6998 | 5263 | -25% |
| – Food service activities | 10354 | 7902 | -24% | 10336 | 8735 | -15% |
| – Travel agency, tour operators and other reservation service | 4121 | 1867 | -55% | 3958 | 2981 | -25% |
| November | Average December - November | |||||
| Rental cars4 | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % |
| Total rental cars | 24359 | 18677 | -23% | 24818 | 21301 | -14% |
| Rental cars (active) | 22534 | 13961 | -38% | 22973 | 17299 | -25% |
| Rental cars (inactive) | 1825 | 4716 | 158% | 1845 | 4001 | 117% |
| October | November - October | |||||
| Traffic on ring road5 | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % |
| South Iceland | 14304 | 9734 | -32% | 178385 | 144214 | -19% |
| West Iceland | 13253 | 9388 | -29% | 172778 | 147707 | -15% |
| North Iceland | 7647 | 4749 | -38% | 103402 | 80027 | -23% |
| East Iceland | 2037 | 1287 | -37% | 27057 | 19813 | -27% |
| October | November - October | |||||
| Passenger count from Iceland6 | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % |
| Total Passengers | 219948 | 9801 | -96% | 2640511 | 937259 | -65% |
| - Foreign nationality | 163093 | 5923 | -96% | 2016966 | 213665 | -89% |
| - Icelandic nationality | 56855 | 3878 | -93% | 623545 | 723594 | 16% |
| October | November - October | |||||
| Traffic statistcs - Keflavik Airport7 | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % |
| Total movements (departures/landings) | 7514 | 4717 | -37% | 87153 | 51760 | -41% |
| Total passenger movements | 552936 | 19288 | -97% | 2658983 | 937812 | -65% |
| – Departures | 220097 | 9916 | -95% | 2659581 | 926950 | -65% |
| – Arrivals | 209990 | 8981 | -96% | 2268791 | 362553 | -84% |
| – Exchange passengers (counted twice) | 122849 | 391 | -100% | 7587355 | 2227315 | -71% |
1 Airbnb and unpaid accommodation not included in 12 month period.
2 Other accommodations are camping sites, youth hostels, holiday centres, lodges in wilderness, apartments, sleeping-bag facilities and private-home accommodation. Other unpaid accommodation includes overnight stays in cars, tents or caravans outside campsites and indoor accommodation where no payment was made.
3 Travel agencies (abroad): Services in connection with trips abroad, i.e. with zero VAT-rate according to paragraph 12 of the VAT-law (Act 50/1988). Travel agencies (in Iceland): Services in connection with trips in Iceland, i.e. not with zero VAT-rate according to paragraph 12 of the VAT-law (Act 50/1988).
4 Data from the Icelandic transport authority.
5 According to numbers from 14 counters on the ring road from Icelandic Road Administration. Monthly numbers show the average count each month. 12 month rolling period specifies the total count during the period. Data is used from 14 counters located on the ring road.
6 Data from the Icelandic Tourist Board.
7 Data from ISAVIA - passenger movements count departures, arrivals and connecting passengers which are counted twice.
Statistics
Overnight stays
Short term indicators in tourism
Overnight stays in hotels temporary estimate
External trade in services
Labour force – register data