It’s eclipse fever, hotels in some cities in Spain and Iceland have been stormed

It’s “fever” sinceeclipse. The prices ofhotelin some cities ofIceland e della Spainhave grown dramatically: tourists are flocking to attend the premieretotal solar eclipsevisible, in this century, from continental Europe.

According to data from the analysis companyLighthousereported by Ft, the hotel rooms in the Icelandic capitalReykjavíkrecorded an average price of over 1,000 dollars on the night of the eclipse with an increase of over 140% compared to the same date in 2025. Even in Spain the hotel demand along the path of the eclipse has skyrocketed: in the north of the country prices have more than doubled, while inBilbao e a Santiago de Compostelarates increased by 59% and 31% respectively.

A Majorcawhere the eclipse will however be less visible, rates have instead increased by a fifth. Faced with such strong demand,Icelandairhas increased flights particularly from the United States and alsoDeltaadded additional flights from New York to Reykjavík. Same situation on booking portals: for example onAirbnbIcelandic accommodation rates increased by 53.7% compared to the previous year.

The impact was smaller in Spain, where the supply of accommodation is much larger, but rates in locations where the eclipse is more visible still saw an average increase of 15.8%. The Spanish government expects the eclipse to generate 342 million euros in additional tourism spending, drawing travelers away from tourist spots and into the depopulated hinterland known as “empty Spain.” Obviously also cruise line trips likePrincess Cruises e Virgin VoyagesI’m already full.

Il astronomical tourismin short, it’s going great. Tour operators have reported that bookings are already coming in apace, particularly in the Egyptian city ofLuxorfor next August’s solar eclipse, dubbed “the eclipse of the century.” It will be the longest visible period from land until 2114.