Record tourist numbers and spending

Records fell again in July this year as more tourists visited Iceland and spent more money on their cards than ever before.

According to data from the Icelandic Tourist Board, 180,679 foreign nationals transited through Keflavík International Airport (KEF) in July, the highest monthly figure ever.

This represents a massive 25% increase on July 2014. Monthly increases as compared to last year have not fallen below 20% since the year began (see table below).

Payment-card revenue from foreign visitors in July reached almost ISK 24 billion (approx. €164 million). While tourist numbers have increased by 25%, this revenue figure is up 31% on July 2014. This means that not only are more tourists coming to Iceland, but they are spending more than before, too.

Dividing payment-card revenue by passenger numbers, it is estimated that each July visitor spent a total of ISK 133,000 (approx. €900) during their Iceland stay. This is 4.8% up on last year’s figure.