Press Release 21/04/2023
SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS. Except hotels. March 2023
Visitor numbers rose by 44.2% in rural accommodation in the Basque Country in March 2023
In tourist apartments and hostels, visitor numbers increased by 58.7% and 24.7% respectively
In rural accommodation in the Basque Country in March 2023, visitor numbers rose by 44.2% compared to the same month of the previous year, and overnight stays increased by 35.9%. With this year-on-year growth, in March the number of visitors reached 10,824 and the total number of overnight stays was 22,116.
Visitors, overnight stays, average length of stay and bed occupancy rates in rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country. March 2023
| | Visitors | Overnight stays | Average stay | Occupancy rates (%) |
| | | by seats | by rooms |
| | 03/2023 | m/m-12 (%) | 03/2023 | m/m-12 (%) | 03/2023 | 03/2022 | 03/2023 | p.p. * | 03/2023 | p.p. * |
| BASQUE COUNTRY | 10.824 | 44,2 | 22.116 | 35,9 | 2,04 | 2,17 | 18,5 | 5,8 | 21,8 | 5,6 |
| State origin | 9.819 | 49,0 | 19.762 | 45,6 | 2,01 | 2,06 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 1.005 | 9,5 | 2.354 | -12,8 | 2,34 | 2,94 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Araba/Álava | 1.741 | 5,8 | 3.634 | 16,7 | 2,09 | 1,89 | 11,9 | 1,8 | 14,2 | 2,4 |
| State origin | 1.562 | 4,2 | 3.333 | 19,1 | 2,13 | 1,87 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 179 | 22,6 | 301 | -4,7 | 1,68 | 2,16 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bizkaia | 2.569 | 54,4 | 5.712 | 57,0 | 2,22 | 2,19 | 17,3 | 7,1 | 21,9 | 8,4 |
| State origin | 2.324 | 49,7 | 5.235 | 55,8 | 2,25 | 2,16 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 245 | 118,8 | 477 | 70,4 | 1,95 | 2,50 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Gipuzkoa | 6.514 | 55,1 | 12.770 | 34,2 | 1,96 | 2,27 | 22,8 | 7,3 | 25,9 | 5,8 |
| State origin | 5.933 | 67,6 | 11.194 | 51,0 | 1,89 | 2,10 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 581 | -12,0 | 1.576 | -25,1 | 2,71 | 3,19 | - | - | - | - |
p.p.*= difference in percentage points on the same month of the previous year
m/m12 Rate of year-on-year change in the last observed month (m) compared to the same month of the previous year (m-12)
Date April 21, 2023
Source: Eustat Tourist accommodating establishments survey
After rising by 9.5% in relation to March of the previous year, visitors from abroad accounted for 9.3% of the total number of visitors recorded in March 2023 in rural accommodation in the Basque Country. As for overnight stays, however, those by visitors from abroad represented 10.6% of the total, even though they decreased by 12.8% compared to March 2022.
By province, the year-on-year increases in visitor numbers in March 2023 reached 55.1% in Gipuzkoa, 54.4% in Bizkaia and 5.8% in Álava. As regards overnight stays, growth of 56.3% in Bizkaia, 34.2% in Gipuzkoa and 16.7% in Álava was observed.
The average length of stay in this type of establishment in the Basque Country was 2.04 days in March, a figure lower than the average length of stay of 2.17 days observed in the same month of 2022. The average length of stay refers to the number of days that, on average, travellers remain in each of the establishments where they stay overnight, and not the total length of their stay in the Basque Country.
Bed and room occupancy rates experienced a year-on-year increase of 5.8 and 5.6 percentage points respectively, the bed occupancy rate standing at 18.5% and that of rooms at 21.8%.
In relation to tourist apartments, during March 2023 there was a total of 10,541 visitors, giving rise to 39,536 overnight stays. Compared to the previous March, the increases were 58.7% in the case of visitor numbers and 26.8% in that of overnight stays.
Each of the accommodation units offered under a business operating unit, managed under the block or combined mode, is referred to as a tourist apartment. Private dwellings offered, marketed or temporarily relinquished for reasons of tourism are not included under the heading of dwellings for tourism use.
Visitors, overnight stays, average length of stay and bed occupancy rates in tourist apartments of the Basque Country. March 2023
| | Visitors | Overnight stays | Average stay | Occupancy rates (%) |
| | | by seats | by apartaments |
| | 03/2023 | m/m-12 (%) | 03/2023 | m/m-12 (%) | 03/2023 | 03/2022 | 03/2023 | p.p. * | 03/2023 | p.p. * |
| BASQUE COUNTRY | 10.541 | 58,7 | 39.536 | 26,8 | 3,75 | 4,69 | 29,0 | 1,9 | 54,0 | -4,5 |
| State origin | 8.288 | 62,1 | 27.646 | 27,8 | 3,34 | 4,23 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 2.253 | 47,2 | 11.891 | 24,5 | 5,28 | 6,24 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Araba/Álava | 1.537 | 144,6 | 7.243 | 9,7 | 4,71 | 10,51 | 22,5 | 2,3 | 50,6 | -13,6 |
| State origin | 1.399 | 147,8 | 4.980 | 2,8 | 3,56 | 8,58 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 138 | 116,2 | 2.263 | 28,9 | 16,41 | 27,53 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bizkaia | 6.182 | 40,9 | 13.832 | 45,8 | 2,24 | 2,16 | 24,9 | 2,7 | 34,5 | -3,8 |
| State origin | 4.820 | 45,8 | 10.118 | 58,2 | 2,10 | 1,93 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 1.362 | 26,0 | 3.715 | 20,0 | 2,73 | 2,86 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Gipuzkoa | 2.823 | 73,4 | 18.460 | 22,3 | 6,54 | 9,27 | 38,0 | -0,3 | 72,9 | 4,2 |
| State origin | 2.069 | 66,7 | 12.548 | 20,7 | 6,07 | 8,37 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 754 | 95,1 | 5.913 | 25,9 | 7,84 | 12,15 | - | - | - | - |
p.p.*= difference in percentage points on the same month of the previous year
m/m12 Rate of year-on-year change in the last observed month (m) compared to the same month of the previous year (m-12)
Date April 21, 2023
Source: Eustat Tourist accommodating establishments survey
Visitors from abroad accounted for 21.4% of the total number of visitors and 30.1% of the total number of overnight stays in tourist apartments in the Basque Country, after registering year-on-year increases of 47.2% and 24.5%, respectively, during March 2023.
The average length of stay in tourist apartments was 3.75 days in March 2023, below that obtained in March 2022, which stood at 4.69 days in the Basque Country as a whole. The average length of stay in this type of establishment was 2.24 days in Bizkaia, 4.71 days in Álava and 6.54 days in Gipuzkoa.
The bed occupancy rate at the Basque Country level reached 29.0%, following an increase of 1.9 percentage points in relation to March 2022. In contrast, the apartment occupancy rate dropped by 4.5 percentage points to stand at 54.0%.
Regarding Tourist hostels in the Basque Country, defined in Law 13/2016, of 28 July, on Tourism, and on which data began to be published last month, in March 2023 there was a year-on-year increase in visitors of 24.7%, reaching a total of 13,548 that generated a total of 24,083 overnight stays. 11,690 overnight stays were registered in Bizkaia, 11,396 in Gipuzkoa and lastly the number of overnight stays in Álava was 997.
The average length of stay in this type of accommodation in March 2023 was 1.78 days in the Basque Country as a whole and the bed occupancy rate, after a year-on-year increase of 10.5%, reached 26.6%.
Informative note
The response rate for the Survey on Tourist Establishments this month was 93.2% for Rural Accommodation, 85.2% for Tourist Apartments and 86.1% for Tourist Hostels. Eustat would like to thank all establishments that participated in this survey for their effort.
For further information:
Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Press Service: Tel.: 945 01 75 62