Revenue from non-Icelandic tourists during second quarter of 2020 was 12 billion ISK and decreased by 90% compared to the same period last year.
VAT turnover in key tourism sectors in May-June was 37 billion ISK and decreased by 67% from the same period the year before when it was 112.5 billion ISK.
In June, 20 thousand employees were working in key tourism sectors, which is a 35% decrease compared with June last year. Experimental statistics indicate that overnight stays in hotels decreased by 58% in August, down from 523 thousand to 221 thousand, compared with August 2019. Overnight stays by foreigners decreased by 79%, but on the other hand there was a large increase in overnight stays by Icelanders between years, 121 thousand compared to 38 thousand in August 2019.
This release includes updated statistics on overnight stays along with external trade in services, 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 | July | August - July | ||||
| Overnight stays | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % |
| Total overnight stays¹ | 1,633,668 | 688,267 | -58% | 8,442,810 | 5,847,370 | -31% |
| Hotels and guesthouses | 717,924 | 327,935 | -54% | 5,770,730 | 4,038,744 | -30% |
| Airbnb and similar sites | 242,000 | 32,000 | -87% | .. | .. | |
| Other types of unpaid accommodation | 77,000 | 21,000 | -73% | .. | .. | |
| Other types of listed accommodation² | 596,744 | 307,332 | -48% | 2,672,080 | 1,808,626 | -32% |
| June | July - June | |||||
| Occupancy rate of hotel rooms | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % |
| Total overnight stays in hotels | 507,829 | 224,357 | -56% | 4,463,898 | 3,174,192 | -29% |
| Available hotel rooms | 11,058 | 8,547 | -23% | .. | .. | |
| Occupancy rate | 81% | 47% | -34 | 66% | 50% | -11 |
| August | ||||||
| Experimental statistics - Overnight stays in hotels | 2019 (actual) | 2020 (estimated) | % | |||
| Overnight stays in hotels | 522,900 | 221,000 | -58% | |||
| – Iceland | 38,181 | 121,000 | 217% | |||
| – Foreigners | 484,764 | 100,000 | -79% | |||
| 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 | -98% | 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% |
| June | Average employees July - June | |||||
| Register based employment | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % |
| Tourism industries | 30,315 | 19,765 | -35% | 28,730 | 25,251 | -12% |
| – Air transport | 4,998 | 3,816 | -24% | 4,796 | 4,222 | -12% |
| – Accommodation and food sercice activities | 18,330 | 12,171 | -34% | 17,531 | 15,484 | -12% |
| – Travel agency, tour operators and other reservation servic | 4,351 | 2,385 | -45% | 3,980 | 3,495 | -12% |
| September | Average October - Sept | |||||
| Rental cars4 | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % |
| Total rental cars | 25,296 | 19,747 | -22% | 25,052 | 22,266 | -11% |
| Rental cars (active) | 24,760 | 17,186 | -31% | 23,218 | 18,749 | -19% |
| Rental cars (inactive) | 536 | 2,561 | 378% | 1,834 | 3,517 | 92% |
| August | September - August | |||||
| Traffic on ring road5 | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % |
| South Iceland | 20,079 | 15,948 | -21% | 180,499 | 155,734 | -14% |
| West Iceland | 19,877 | 17,735 | -11% | 172,503 | 154,606 | -10% |
| North Iceland | 14,507 | 11,960 | -18% | 103,533 | 86,970 | -16% |
| East Iceland | 4,003 | 2,906 | -27% | 27,187 | 22,059 | -19% |
| August | September - August | |||||
| Passenger count from Iceland6 | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % |
| Total Passengers | 300,366 | 71,679 | -76% | 2,740,295 | 1,373,656 | -50% |
| - Foreign nationality | 251,887 | 63,762 | -75% | 2,101,526 | 1,062,209 | -49% |
| - Icelandic nationality | 48,479 | 7,917 | -84% | 638,769 | 311,447 | -51% |
| August | September - August | |||||
| Traffic statistcs - Keflavik Airport7 | 2019 | 2020 | % | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | % |
| Total movements (departures/landings) | 8,763 | 3,133 | -64% | 89,120 | 58,459 | -34% |
| Total passenger movements | 840,173 | 134,108 | -84% | 8,221,630 | 3,376,949 | -59% |
| – Departures | 302,869 | 71,729 | -76% | 2,756,983 | 1,371,465 | -50% |
| – Arrivals | 300,660 | 59,145 | -80% | 2,749,655 | 1,339,157 | -51% |
| – Exchange passengers (counted twice) | 236,644 | 3,234 | -99% | 2,714,992 | 666,327 | -75% |
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