Substantial decrease has been in the number of passengers going through Keflavik Airport in the last months. In September 28,317 passengers went through the airport which is about 96% less than the same month the year before when there were 644,303 passengers. In the last 12 months the number of passengers has decreased by 65%, going from 7.9 million passengers to 2.8 million passengers.
Traffic on the ring road in Iceland has also been on the decline. In September traffic through the ring road was around 20-50% less in individual quarters of the island compared with September 2019. The biggest decrease in traffic was in eastern Iceland (49%) while the smallest decrease occurred in west part of Iceland (19%).
During the last 12 months the decrease in traffic has been from 12 to 24%. 20 thousand employees worked in tourism key sectors according to register in August, which is 36% less than the same month last year. Over a 12 month period from July – August the average number of employees has decreased by 18% compared with the same period the year before.
Overnight stays in hotels decreased from 504 thousand to 180 thousand (-64%) last August compared with the same month last year. Hotel room supply decreased by 21% and the usage rate dropped from 83% to 36% when comparing the same periods. When looking solely at Icelanders and overnight stays in hotels there was a 145% increase compared with August last year. This year there were 94 thousand registered overnight stays in hotels for Icelanders while there were 38 thousand in August last year.
Icelanders were active in domestic travel last summer as there have never been more overnight stays in hotels purchased by Icelanders. May is excluded from this statement, but during May there were stricter restrictions due to Covid-19 than the following summer months.
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 | August | September - August | |||||
| Overnight stays | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % | |
| Total overnight stays¹ | 1,253,825 | 486,989 | -61% | 8,420,027 | 5,080,443 | -40% | |
| Hotels and guesthouses | 725,927 | 273,817 | -62% | 5,780,582 | 3,586,634 | -38% | |
| Airbnb and similar sites | 240,000 | 32,000 | -87% | .. | .. | ||
| Other types of unpaid accommodation | 79,000 | 20,000 | -75% | .. | .. | ||
| Other types of listed accommodation² | 527,898 | 213,172 | -60% | 2,639,445 | 1,493,809 | -43% | |
| August | September - August | ||||||
| Occupancy rate of hotel rooms | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % | |
| Total overnight stays in hotels | 504,455 | 180,012 | -64% | 4,482,388 | 2,835,180 | -37% | |
| Available hotel rooms | 11,200 | 8,828 | -21% | .. | .. | ||
| Occupancy rate | 83% | 36% | -46 | 65% | 42% | -23 | |
| September | |||||||
| Experimental statistics - Overnight stays in hotels | 2019 (actual) | 2020 (estimated) | % | ||||
| Overnight stays in hotels | 434,200 | 80,000 | -82% | ||||
| – Iceland | 37,485 | 62,000 | 65% | ||||
| – Foreigners | 396,721 | 18,000 | -95% | ||||
| Q2 | Q3-Q2 | ||||||
| External trade in services (million ISK) | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % | |
| Revenue from non-Icelandic tourists | 118,402 | 11,724 | -90% | 508,852 | 332,695 | -35% | |
| – Passanger transport by air | 36,491 | 4,614 | -87% | 167,899 | 100,403 | -40% | |
| – Travel / Consumption | 81,911 | 7,109 | -91% | 340,953 | 232,293 | -32% | |
| May - June | July - June | ||||||
| VAT turnover3 (million ISK) | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % | |
| Tourism industries | 112,590 | 37,175 | -67% | 648,778 | 483,015 | -26% | |
| – Passenger flights | 41,323 | 13,766 | -67% | 251,632 | 178,108 | -29% | |
| – Accommodation | 18,457 | 3,760 | -80% | 102,013 | 76,341 | -25% | |
| – Catering and services | 17,668 | 12,763 | -28% | 100,153 | 87,979 | -12% | |
| – Travel agents and planners (abroad) | 9,773 | 4,943 | -49% | 50,982 | 39,681 | -22% | |
| – Travel agents and planners (in Iceland) | 3,207 | 48 | -99% | 16,822 | 11,355 | -32% | |
| – Car rentals | 17,471 | 1,365 | -92% | 98,810 | 69,477 | -30% | |
| – Passenger transport on land | 3,469 | 442 | -87% | 22,985 | 16,336 | -29% | |
| – Passenger water transport | 1,222 | 88 | -93% | 5,381 | 3,738 | -31% | |
| August | Average employees September - August | ||||||
| Register based employment | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % | |
| Tourism industries | 31,064 | 20,026 | -36% | 28,506 | 23,475 | -18% | |
| – Air transport | 4,915 | 3,527 | -28% | 4,776 | 3,999 | -16% | |
| – Accommodation and food service activities | 18,934 | 12,784 | -32% | 17,380 | 14,495 | -17% | |
| – Travel agency, tour operators and other reservation service | 4,509 | 2,424 | -46% | 3,962 | 3,163 | -20% | |
| October | Average November - October | ||||||
| Rental cars4 | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % | |
| Total rental cars | 24,994 | 19,100 | -24% | 299,211 | 261,297 | -13% | |
| Rental cars (active) | 24,075 | 15,251 | -37% | 276,986 | 216,167 | -22% | |
| Rental cars (inactive) | 919 | 3,849 | 319% | 22,225 | 45,130 | 103% | |
| September | October - September | ||||||
| Traffic on ring road5 | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % | |
| South Iceland | 16,781 | 11,830 | -30% | 178,937 | 148,784 | -17% | |
| West Iceland | 15,906 | 12,822 | -19% | 172,771 | 151,572 | -12% | |
| North Iceland | 10,636 | 6,592 | -38% | 103,345 | 82,925 | -20% | |
| East Iceland | 3,072 | 1,575 | -49% | 27,067 | 20,562 | -24% | |
| September | October - September | ||||||
| Passenger count from Iceland6 | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % | |
| Total Passengers | 233,357 | 15,024 | -94% | 2,684,150 | 1,147,406 | -57% | |
| - Foreign nationality | 183,654 | 10,126 | -94% | 2,053,499 | 880,764 | -57% | |
| - Icelandic nationality | 49,703 | 4,898 | -90% | 630,651 | 266,641 | -58% | |
| September | October - September | ||||||
| Traffic statistcs - Keflavik Airport7 | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % | |
| Total movements (departures/landings) | 7,293 | 3,309 | -55% | 88,222 | 54,475 | -38% | |
| Total passenger movements | 644,303 | 28,317 | -96% | 7,883,105 | 2,760,963 | -65% | |
| – Departures | 238,532 | 15,060 | -94% | 2,705,266 | 1,147,993 | -58% | |
| – Arrivals | 223,617 | 12,419 | -94% | 2,703,286 | 1,127,959 | -58% | |
| – Exchange passengers (counted twice) | 182,154 | 838 | -100% | 2,474,533 | 485,011 | -80% | |
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