Hotel room prices have increased significantly in several European cities in the days preceding a total solar eclipse set to cross the continent on Wednesday, with Reykjavík recording a 98% year-on-year rise to an average of $793 per night, according to data from travel and hospitality data group Lighthouse Intelligence.
Hotel Prices Rise Across European Cities Ahead of Total Solar Eclipse
Hotel room prices have increased significantly in several European cities in the days preceding a total solar eclipse set to cross the continent on Wednesday, with Reykjavík recording a 98% year-on-year rise to an average of $793 per night, according to data from travel and hospitality data group Lighthouse Intelligence.
Reykjavík is among a limited number of accessible locations from which the full eclipse can be observed before evening on Wednesday, contributing to the spike in accommodation costs in Iceland's capital.
Spain's finance ministry stated on Monday that it expected 460,000 overseas tourists to travel to the country specifically to view the eclipse. Several Spanish cities have recorded notable hotel price increases: room rates in A Coruña rose 135% compared with the same period last year to an average of $451, while prices in Mallorca were up 24% to approximately $448. Santiago de Compostela and Bilbao saw increases of 34% and 67% respectively.
Accommodation in small towns and villages along the eclipse's path has reportedly been booked for months. There have been reports of travellers from the United States arranging house exchanges with residents of Spain's Castilla y León region, described as one of the better locations to observe the eclipse.
Spanish authorities have expressed concern about an elevated fire risk coinciding with the tourist influx. Police expect 1.5 million more car journeys than usual on Wednesday, and officials have warned that dry conditions mean a small ignition source could lead to significant forest fires. Traffic congestion also raises the risk of blocking emergency vehicle access in rural areas.
Spain plans to deploy 35,000 officers as part of a police operation and safety campaign. Virginia Barcones, the secretary general for civil protection and emergencies at Spain's interior ministry, cited a series of major forest fires during the current summer as the reason for restricting activities that could generate a spark.
Among the measures in place, parking on hard shoulders or near dry vegetation has been banned in Spain, as have barbecues and fireworks. The València region has closed its natural parks and banned walking on rural footpaths.
As of Monday evening, three large wildfires were burning in the provinces of Huelva, Segovia, and Huesca. Fires have burned approximately 200,000 hectares in Spain so far this year, which the environment ministry said is six times more than by the same date in 2025.
NASA has installed four telescopes in the village of Villalibado in north-west Spain to livestream the eclipse to more than 10 million people. A partial solar eclipse will be visible across the UK on Wednesday, reaching maximum coverage at 7.12pm in London.
- The source does not establish how Lighthouse Intelligence collected or calculated its hotel pricing data, or the sample size behind the averages cited.
- The source does not establish how Spain's finance ministry arrived at the 460,000 overseas tourist figure or what methodology was used.
- The source does not establish the total number of tourists expected in Iceland or other non-Spanish European eclipse destinations.
- The source does not establish what proportion of the 200,000 hectares burned in Spain is directly attributable to tourist activity versus other causes.
- The source does not establish how many people have successfully booked accommodation in small towns along the eclipse path, only that such accommodation has reportedly been booked for months.
- The source does not establish the precise path of the total eclipse across Europe beyond the locations mentioned.
- The source does not establish the expected audience breakdown for NASA's livestream or the platform through which it will be broadcast.
- The source does not establish hotel price changes in other European countries beyond Iceland and Spain.
Read the original at The Guardian