Locals in Iceland travelled less this summer than in recent years, both domestically and abroad. During the summer of 2022, three out of every five locals travelled abroad. The percentage is slightly lower this year and has not been lower since eight years ago (excluding the years that the pandemic was at its height). The figures are from a recent survey conducted by Gallup.
Three years ago, international travel was almost at a standstill due to the pandemic, which continued to have a big impact on travel in 2021. Despite lower rates of travel than in recent years, more than half of Iceland’s population still travelled abroad during the summer of 2023.
People between the ages of 40 and 60 were most likely to have travelled abroad this summer, and residents of the capital area travelled more than those living in rural areas. People with university degrees and people with higher family incomes also generally travelled abroad more than people with less education and lower incomes.
Respondents in the demographic aged 30-39 were most likely to stay home, while those in the highest income bracket were most likely to travel abroad.
Domestic travel
Two out of three survey respondents travelled domestically this summer, a drop compared to figures from the last few years but similar to last year’s figures. As with international travel, residents of the capital area travelled more domestically this summer than residents of rural areas. People with more education and higher family income generally travelled more domestically than people with less education and lower family income.
People stayed an average of 15 nights on their international trips and 9 nights on their domestic trips.
The data is from an online survey conducted by Gallup between September 1 and 10, 2023. The total sample size was 1,697 and the participation rate was 50%.
