Press Release 21/08/2015

SURVEY ON TOURISTESTABLISHMENTS (ETR) JULY 2015

Visitors to hotel establishments in the Basque Country increased by 12.5% in July 2015

The number of overnight stays also registered an increase of 11.6% compared to the same month of the previous year

There were 293,712 visitors registered in the hotel establishments of the Basque Country in July 2015, 32,544 up on the same month of the previous year, which is an increase of 12.5%, according to Eustat data. The number of visitors rose by 16.6% in Álava, 13.6% in Bizkaia and 9.6% in Gipuzkoa.

Furthermore, overnight stays registered in hotel establishments of the Basque Country in July 2015 stood at 590,414, which was an increase of 11.6% on those registered in July of the previous year; that is, there were 61,297 more overnight stays. There was also a positive variation in overnight stays in the three provinces: in Bizkaia they increased by 14.0%, in Gipuzkoa they rose by 10.9% and in Álava they were up by 5.8%.

The number of visitors from within Spain rose by 5.2% in the Basque Country compared to July of the previous year, whilst there was an increase in the proportion of foreign visitors of 21.1%. Álava registered an 8.8% increase in visitors from Spain, and a 31.3% increase in foreign visitors. In Bizkaia the number of Spanish visitors was up by 2.9%, whereas the number of visitors from abroad rose by 27.5%. In Gipuzkoa there was an increase in Spanish visitor numbers of 6.7%, and the number of foreign visitors rose by 12.3%.

The average length of stay in July was 2.01 days, very close to the average stay of 2.03 days registered in July 2014. In Álava there was a decrease from 1.92 days last year to 1.74 days in July this year; in Bizkaia the average stay for this July stood at 1.95 days, the same as the previous year; and for its part, in Gipuzkoa, there was a slight increase from the 2.16 days in July 2014 to 2.18 days in July 2015.

There was an increase of 6.5 percentage points in the bed occupancy rate for the Basque Country overall, where it went from 59.9% in July 2014 to 66.3% in July this year. Álava experienced a rise of 3.3 percentage points, increasing from 49.6% to 52.9%. Bizkaia saw an increase of 6.3 percentage points, going from a bed occupancy rate of 58.2% in July 2014 to a rate of 64.5% in July 2015. In Gipuzkoa the occupancy rate increased by 8.3 percentage points, increasing from 66.2% in July 2014 to 74.4% in July 2015.

The occupancy rate per room was also positive, up by 7.9 percentage points for the Basque Country overall, where it stood at 75.9%. In Álava it was up by 2.7 percentage points, standing at 60.5%; in Bizkaia it increased by 9.7 percentage points to reach 76.7%; whereas in Gipuzkoa it rose by 7.7 percentage points, standing at 81.4% occupancy per room.

The highest hotel bed occupancy rate in July this year was in Donostia-San Sebastián (83.4%), followed by the Gipuzkoa Coast (79.2%) and Bilbao (71.5%).

Taking into account the day of the week, at weekends there was a higher occupancy in the Basque Country as a whole in July 2015, with 74.2% of occupied places, with the registered occupancy standing at 63.1% on weekdays.

The occupancy rate per room during the Getxo International Jazz Festival stood at 69.7% in the hotel establishments of Bizkaia

Visitor numbers during the 2015 Getxo International Jazz Festival increased to 20,110 in the hotel establishments of Bizkaia. These were visits that lasted from 1 to 5 July 2015 (5 nights). In this same period, the total number of overnight stays was 38,195, with an occupancy rate per room of 57.1%.

With regards to 2014, when the festival was held between 2 and 6 July (5 nights), visits increased by 8.2% in Bizkaia overall and overnight stays by 10.3%. The room occupancy rate was up by 7 percentage points and the bed occupancy rate increased by 4.4 points.

The occupancy rate per room during the BBK Live Festival stood at 94.3% in Bilbao

Visitor numbers during the 2015 BBK Live Festival increased to 15,276 in the hotel establishments of Bizkaia. These were visits that lasted from 9 to 11 July 2015 (3 nights). In this same period, the total number of overnight stays in Bizkaia was 32,048, with a bed occupancy rate of 78.6%. In Bilbao there were 9,014 visitors and 19,934 overnight stays, with a room occupancy rate of 94.3% and a bed occupancy rate of 85.4%.

With regards to 2014, when BBK Live took place between 10 and 12 July (3 nights), visitor numbers rose by 2.8% and overnight stays by 3% for Bizkaia as a whole, with an increase of 2 points for the room occupancy rate and 4 tenths for the bed occupancy rate. In Bilbao, visitor numbers rose by 6.6% and overnight stays by 4.4%. The occupancy rate per room was up by 3.2 percentage points.

The occupancy rate per room during the Jazz Festival stood at 85% in Donostia-San Sebastián

Visitor numbers during the 2015 Donostia-San Sebastián Jazz Festival increased to 19,522 in the hotel establishments of Gipuzkoa. These were visits that lasted from 22 to 26 July 2015 (5 nights). In this same period, the total number of overnight stays in Gipuzkoa was 41,936, with a bed occupancy rate of 78.6%. In Donostia-San Sebastián there were 10,751 visitors and 24,428 overnight stays, with a room occupancy rate of 94.6% and a bed occupancy rate of 88.6%.

Compared to 2014, when the festival was held between 23 and 27 July (5 nights), in Gipuzkoa both visitor numbers and overnight stays increased by 9.9% and 12.1%, respectively, and the room occupancy rate increased by 4.2%. In Donostia-San Sebastián visitor numbers were up by 5.7% and overnight stays by 8.6%, with a room occupancy rate 7.8 points higher.

The occupancy rate per room during the Jazz Festival stood at 76.5% in Vitoria-Gasteiz

Visitor numbers during the 2015 Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival increased to 7,074 in the hotel establishments of Álava. These were visits that lasted from 14 to 18 July 2015 (5 nights). In this same period there were 14,219 overnight stays. The bed occupancy rate was 62.2% and the room occupancy rate was 68.7%. In Vitoria-Gasteiz there were 5,030 visitors and 10,728 overnight stays, with a room occupancy rate of 76.5% and a bed occupancy rate of 67.4%.

In relation to the previous year, and despite the festival lasting for one more day (from 14 to 19 July, 6 nights), visitors increased by 2.7 and overnight stays by 1.2% in the capital, with a rise of 5.4 percentage points in the room occupancy rate.

In rural accommodation, visitor numbers increased by 29.7% and overnight stays by 18.9% in July 2015

There were 20,300 visitors to rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country in July, 29.7% more than the same month of the previous year. By province, in Álava the number of visitors almost doubled, in Bizkaia there was an increase of 27.5%, and in Gipuzkoa there was a rise of 18.9%. There was a 23.2% increase in the number of visitors originating from abroad with regards to those received a year ago, representing 21.5% of the total number of visitors. For its part, the number of visitors from within Spain rose by 31.5%.

Rural tourism establishments and country cottages in the Basque Country recorded a total of 57,054 overnight stays in July, with an increase of 18.9% with respect to the same month of the previous year. At provincial level, they were up 84.9% in Álava, Bizkaia saw a rise of 12.2% and in Gipuzkoa they rose by 13.8%.

The bed occupancy rate stood at 44.7% with a rise of 6.2 percentage points compared to the figures obtained in July 2014. Álava recorded a rise of 12.3 percentage points, with a bed occupancy rate of 26.6%. In Bizkaia the occupancy rate was 43.1%, which meant an increase of 3.3 percentage points in relation to July 2014, and Gipuzkoa saw a fall of 5.3 percentage points, with an occupancy rate this July of 53.5%.

Finally, the average length of stay per visitor decreased with respect to July 2014, going from 3.07 days a year ago to 2.81 this last month.

For further information:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Instituto Vasco de Estadística C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tlf: 945 01 75 62 Further press releases on ETR - Survey on tourist establishments of the Basque Country Databank on ETR - Survey on tourist establishments of the Basque Country