Hotel establishments in the A.C. of the Basque Country registered 176,589 entries by visitors in August 2003, according to Eustat data. These figures reflect a 1% increase in relation to the same month the year before. Entries by visitors have had a different evolution in the three provinces: there were increases in Alava (11%) and Bizkaia (5%), but a drop in Gipuzkoa (-4%).

Entries by state visitors increased by 13% in the whole of the A.C. of the Basque Country, while entries by foreign visitors fell 16%. State travellers increased in number in all three provinces: Alava (+16%), Bizkaia (+15%) and Gipuzkoa (+11%). The number of foreign visitors increased in Gipuzkoa (-25%) and Bizkaia (-9%) and increased slightly in Alava (+1%).

There was an increase in state visitors from all the Communities, except Galicia and Extremadura. The number of foreign visitors fell from France, Italy, the UK, Germany, the USA- Canada and Portugal, among others, while numbers increased from Belgium, Ireland and Denmark.

The number of overnight stays registered in August 2003 came to 364,015, which maintained the levels reached the previous year. Overnight stays evolved in the three provinces, rising in Alava (11%) and falling in Bizkaia (-1%) and Gipuzkoa (-2%).

The average length of stay for visitors fell slightly by 1% in the whole of the A.C. of the Basque Country, i.e. rising from 2.09 days in August 2002 to 2.06 days in August. The average length of stay improved in value by 2% in the province of Gipuzkoa and dropped in Alava (-1%) and Bizkaia (-5%)

The level of occupancy by places fell 8% in the whole of the A.C. of the Basque Country, falling from 65.72% to 60.17%. The higher level of occupancy corresponded to Gipuzkoa with 73.78%, but falling 4% with regard to the figures for the year before.

The balance of the summer months, July and August, in the A.C. of the Basque Country closed with 4% and 3.3% growth in the number of visitors for overnight stays.

Agrotourism: Fall in entries by visitors (-6%) and rise in overnight stays (12%).

Last August registered 12,445 entries by visitors in agrotourism establishments in the A.C. of the Basque Country, 6% fewer than in the same month the year before, rising 37% in Alava, 1% in Bizkaia and falling 20% in Gipuzkoa. The decrease experienced in the whole of the A.C. of the Basque Country affected both state (-6%), and foreign visitors (-5%).

The number of overnight stays at agrotourism establishments in the A.C. of the Basque Country came to 54,263 in August, which represented 12% more than in the same month the year before with positive inter-annual growth rates in all three provinces: Alava (34%), Bizkaia (11%) and Gipuzkoa (8%).

The average stay per visitor improved significantly by 19% in the whole of the A.C. of the Basque Country with regard to August 2002, and rose from 3.66 days a year ago to 4.36 this, having risen in Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia and fallen in Alava.

The level of occupancy by places registered a 1% fall in the whole of the A.C. of the Basque Country (falling from 71.34% occupancy to 70.92%), due to the drop in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, despite the rise in Alava.

Table 1: Monthly results

Source: EUSTAT