A record number of overnight stays were registered in Iceland in February or 575,300. This is a 45% increase from 2022 and a 9.4% increase from 2018, the previous record year.
Hotel accommodation increased in all parts of the country
As noted by Statistics Iceland, a record number of overnight stays were registered in Iceland in February or 575,300. This is a 45% increase from 2022 and a 9.4% increase from 2018, which was the previous record year.
The number of overnight stays in February by foreign tourists accounted for ca. 79% of the total, or around 455,100. This is a 55% increase from February 2022 (i.e. 396,400). By comparison, the overnight stays by Icelanders were ca. 120,100, which is a 15% increase from February 2022 (104,500).
Statistics Iceland also notes that of the 575,300 total overnight stays, 435,700 were spent in hotels and guesthouses and about 139,600 in other types of registered accommodation (apartment accommodation, holiday homes, campsites, etc.). The estimated number of foreign overnight stays in home accommodation, outside the traditional overnight registration, in February was around 75,000.
Overnight stays in hotels in February were 371,900, which is a 37% increase from last year (270,900). Hotel accommodation increased in all parts of the country compared to February 2022. Foreign tourists accounted for 304,900 of overnight stays in hotels, or 82% of the total, while the number of nights spent by Icelanders was 62,300 (18%). The overnight stays of foreign tourists increased by 46% and the overnight stays of Icelanders by 8% when compared to last year.
Lastly, the availability of hotel rooms in February increased by 5% from February 2022. Room occupancy in hotels was 65.9% and increased by 14.9% from the previous year.
