Progress
Figure 1. The number of overnight stays in hotels/guesthouses in East Iceland, 2000-2021. Hotels and guesthouses also include summer hotels and guesthouses. Höfn in Hornafjörður is included in East Iceland statistics until the year 2014. Statistics Iceland is working to extract results from Höfn from the data on East Iceland.
Number of overnight stays as the ratio of stays in the year 2000
Figure 2. The number of overnight stays in hotels/guesthouses in East Iceland and the whole country as a percentage of the number of overnight stays in 2000. Hotels and guesthouses also include summer hotels and guesthouses. Höfn in Hornafjörður is included in East Iceland until the year 2014. Statistics Iceland is working to extract results from Höfn from the data on East Iceland, and then a newly merged graph will be inserted.
Figure 3. The number of overnight stays in hotels/guesthouses in East Iceland and the whole country as a percentage of the number of overnight stays in 2015. Hotels and guesthouses also include summer hotels and guesthouses. Höfn in Hornafjörður is included in East Iceland until the year 2014. Statistics Iceland is working to extract results from Höfn from the data on East Iceland, and then a newly merged graph will be inserted.
Figure 4. Availability and utilization of accommodation in East Iceland. Höfn in Hornafjörður is included in East Iceland until 2012 in accommodation utilization but is not included in the supply of accommodation. Statistics Iceland is working to extract results from Höfn from the data on East Iceland for the next update.
Updated: June 8, 2022
Source: Statistics Iceland (2022).
Availability of accommodation for all types of accommodation 1998-2021
Metrics, Targets and Monitoring Protocol
What is measured?
Number of overnight stays, supply, and occupancy rate of beds in hotels and guesthouses in East Iceland. (Project effect: induced).
Monitoring protocol
Information from Statistics Iceland will be collected annually.
Target
Increase in the number of bed nights in East Iceland proportionally greater than or equal to the national average.
Countermeasures
None, only monitoring
Changes of indicator
At the initiative's annual meeting on May 3, 2016, the following changes to monitoring protocol in parts b and c were approved.
| Original text | Changed text |
|---|---|
| Number of bed nights/year in hotels and guesthouses in East Iceland. (Project effect: induced). | Number of overnight stays, supply, and occupancy rate of beds in hotels and guesthouses in East Iceland. (Project effect: induced). |
The rationale for changes:
The changes are made to add stock variables rather than measure only flow variables. At the initiative's annual meeting in 2015, Jón Skafti Gestsson talked about monitoring stock variables. The group that discussed this indicator afterwards suggested these changes.
This indicator was originally number 13.1b. It was then named Tourism Levels and can be found under that number in the project documents from 2005 and 2006.
The indicator number has been changed twice.
| Year | Nr. | Indicator name |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3.3.2 | Overnight stays and utilization of accommodation |
| 2007 | 3.1b | Tourism |
Baseline
| East Iceland | Capital area | Iceland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of overnight stays 2000 | 94.196 | 647.228 | 1.186.455 |
| Number of overnight stays 2003 | 118.424 | 706.261 | 1.368.728 |
| Proportional change | + 26% | + 9% | + 15% |
Rationale for Indicator Selection
East Iceland attracts many tourists to see the area's wilderness, fjords, waterfalls, tundra, and landscapes. The projects will likely influence the number of tourists in the region through tourist interest in the projects, increased access to the area, and business travel. It is also possible that the projects will make the area less interesting to some tourists that feel the construction of the dam will have a negative impact on the wilderness in the highlands. Tourists can access East Iceland by car, on tour buses, or via plane. Egilsstadir is the location of the region's principal airport, supporting local and international flights. The airport is well connected with good roads allowing access to many parts of East Iceland.
From phase I/II report on indicators and baseline from April 2005