Revenue from foreign tourists during the second quarter of 2023 was 160 billion ISK compared with the same period last year when it was 113 billion ISK. Revenue from foreign tourists has increased by 64% in the last 12 months when compared with the same period the year before, from 332 billion ISK to 554 billion ISK.
Employment in the tourism industries in Iceland was 35,614 in July 2023, an increase of 9% compared with July 2022. In the 12-month period from August 2022 to July 2023, an average of 31,141 individuals worked in the tourism industry compared with 26,328 in the previous 12-month period.
Turnover according to VAT reports in Icelandic tourism sectors was just under 181 billion ISK in May to June 2023, an increase of almost 29% from the previous year.
Overnight stays in hotels in July 2023 were 586,444 compared with 594,936 in July the year before. The number of overnight stays by Icelanders were 100,953 (-3%) and the number of overnight stays by foreign guests were 485,491 (-1%).
In August, there were 326,782 departures of passengers from Keflavik airport compared with 292,134 in August 2022. Departures of passengers with foreign citizenship were 281,514 compared with 242,670 a year earlier.
This release includes updated statistics on turnover by VAT reports, revenue from foreign tourists, overnight stays and register based employment. Also updated are statistics on rental cars from the Icelandic Transport Authority, traffic statistics from the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration, passengers count by nationality from the Icelandic Tourist Board and passengers’ statistics through Keflavik Airport along with traffic statistics published by ISAVIA.
Statistics Iceland no longer provides initial estimates of overnight stays for the latest month.
Statistics
Short term indicators in tourism
Passengers through Keflavik airport
Average daily traffic count on major roads
External trade in services