June tourist numbers down 97%
This photo from July 2nd shows tourists in the Geysir hot spring area as Strokkur spews boiling hot water into the air. Ómar Óskarsson
A total of 11.235 passengers exited Iceland through Keflavik Airport in the month of June. About 53% were foreign nationals meaning 5.943 tourists left Iceland in the whole month, the Icelandic Tourist Board reports. In June last year some 259.702 passengers flew out of Keflavik with 75% of them, or 194.912, being foreign nationals. This means that compared to June last year Iceland has seen a 97% decrease in the number of tourists visiting the country.
Departure statistics indicate that in June Germans and Danes have been the most keen to visit the island, followed by people from the Baltic states, Switzerland and Poland.
When looking at the first six months of the year the total number of passengers flying out of Keflavik comes to 341.695 compared to 899.734 visitors in the first half of 2019 which translates to a decrease of around 62%. When divided into groups based on nationality the largest decrease is in visits from the US or just over 76%.
With so few foreign tourists around many Icelanders have used the opportunity to re-discover their country and explore natural wonders free from the crowds that have characterized the peak summer season since the start of the Icelandic tourist boom. Many hotels within reasonable driving distance from Reykjavik are reporting fairly good occupancy rates on weekends.
