Hotel establishments in the A.C. of the Basque Country registered 131,506 entries by visitors in April 2003, according to Eustat data. These figures reflect a 12% increase compared with the same month the year before, i.e. almost 4,000 more visitors than in April 2002. Entries by visitors developed unequally in the three provinces. The highest inter-annual increase corresponded to Gipuzkoa with 20%, followed by Bizkaia where the rise was 9% and, finally, Alava saw a 2% decrease.

Entries by state visitors increased 15% in the whole of the A.C. of the Basque Country while entries by foreign visitors rose more moderately by 4%. State visitors increased in presence in the three provinces, although unequally, 25% in Gipuzkoa, 12% in Bizkaia and 1% in Alava. Foreigners increased in number in Gipuzkoa (10%) and Bizkaia (3%), but fell substantially in Alava (-14%).

The number of overnight stays registered in April 2003 came to 246,434, i.e. almost 36,000 more than the same month the year before, which represents a 17% increase. Overnight stays underwent a positive inter-annual evolution in the three provinces: Gipuzkoa (27%), Bizkaia (11%) and Alava (5%).

The average length of stay for visitors improved in the whole of the A.C. of the Basque Country, rising from 1.79 days in April 2002 to 1.88 days this last April and this increase affected all three provinces: Alava (7%), Gipuzkoa (6%) and Bizkaia (2%).

The level of occupancy, both by places and by rooms, improved in Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia, but fell in Alava where the greatest decrease was registered in the capital.

Comparative data for the first four months

If we analyse data for the first four months of 2003 in relation to the results of the same period a year before, the comparison becomes more homogeneous as the seasonal effect of the Easter holiday calendar disappears, as Easter was in March last year and in April this. Thus, over the first four months of 2003 there were 426,385 entries by visitors, 5,000 more than the year before, and the number of overnight stays came to 768,751, i.e., 1,500 more than in the same period in 2002. Both entries by visitors and overnight stays registered increases in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa in the first four month period. The number of entries by visitors increased 2% in Gipuzkoa and 4% in Bizkaia. Overnight stays increased 2% in Gipuzkoa and 3% in Bizkaia. However, these two variables fell in Alava for the whole of the first four months of the year: entries by visitors fell -7% and overnight stays dropped -9%.

Agrotourism: Important increase in entries by visitors (67%) and overnight stays (97%).

In April there were 8,206 entries by visitors in agrotourism establishments in the A.C. of the Basque Country, 67% more than the same month a year before, rising 96% in Gipuzkoa, 50% in Alava and 39% in Bizkaia. The increase experienced in the whole of the A.C. of the Basque Country was based on state visitors (74%), as the number of foreign visitors did not vary at all (0.0%). State visitors increased in the three provinces and foreign visitors only increased in Gipuzkoa, falling in Alava and Bizkaia.

Overnight stays in the agrotourism sector amounted to 20,849 in April, 97% more than in the same month in 2002, with significant inter-annual growth rates in all three provinces: Gipuzkoa (157%), Alava (61%) and Bizkaia (55%).

The average stay per visitors improved 18 percent in the whole of the A.C. of the Basque Country, with 31% growth in Gipuzkoa, 11% in Bizkaia and 8% in Alava.

The level of occupancy registered significant increases due largely to the fact that Easter was in April this year.

Data for the first four months.

Over the first four months there were 22,125 entries by visitors in agrotourism establishments in the A.C. of the Basque Country, which represents 10% more than in the same period in 2002. the number of visitors increased both in Gipuzkoa (17%) and in Bizkaia (6%), but fell 2% in Alava, due to the sharp fall in the number of foreign visitors to this province (-41%).

47,656 overnight stays were registered in the first four months of 2003, i.e. 7% more than in the first four months of the previous year. Overnight stays only registered increases in Gipuzkoa (24%) and fell in Alava (-16%) and Bizkaia (-1%), as a consequence of the fall in overnight stays by foreign visitors in these two provinces.

The average length of stay fell by 3% for the whole of the A.C. of the Basque Country, the provincial performance differing in this case with a 6% increase in Gipuzkoa (24%) and reductions in Alava (-14%) and Bizkaia (-7%).

The level of occupancy improved 11 percent in the agrotourism sector in Gipuzkoa and fell both in Alava (-23%) and Bizkaia (-7%).