137,557 visitors were registered in the hotel establishments of the A.C. of the Basque Country in April 2004, 6,500 more than the same month last year, meaning a 5% increase, according to Eustat data. The number of visitors increased in the provinces of Alava (15%) and Bizkaia (11%) but fell in Gipuzkoa (-4%), in relation to the figures for April 2003.

The number of visitors from the state grew by 5%, while those coming from overseas increased by 4%. Both visitors from the state and abroad increased in number in the provinces of Alava (16% y 10% respectively) and Bizkaia (9% and 14%), while in Gipuzkoa, there was a 3% fall in visitors from the state and a 5% one in overseas visitors.

Among visitors from the state, there was an increase in those coming mainly from the Autonomous Communities of Madrid, Catalonia, Galicia, Valencia, Cantabria and Navarre. There was a fall in those coming from Extremadura, Canaries, Balearic Isles and Castile and León, among others. As for overseas visitors, there was an increase in those coming from France, Belgium, Austria and the rest of Europe, although there was a fall in those coming from Italy and Portugal, among others.

Overnight stays registered in April 2004 came to 257,433, meaning a 4% increase in relation to last April, which is to say 11,000 more overnight stays. Inter-annual evolution of overnight stays was positive in the provinces of Alava (8%) and Bizkaia (14%), although not so in Gipuzkoa, which decreased 5%.

The average length of stay fell slightly in April for the A.C. of the Basque Country as a whole, with respect to the same period of last year (-1%). This index increased in Bizkaia (3%) although it decreased in Alava (-6%) and in Gipuzkoa (-2%), in inter-annual terms.

The degree of occupancy by places suffered a slight fall of 1%, going from 43.96% in April last year to 43.66% this April. This index showed improvement in Alava (9%) and Bizkaia (2%), but in the province of Gipuzkoa it fell six points, in all cases compared to the same month last year.

Agrotourism: There was a fall in the number of visitors (-11%) but overnight stays increased (6%)

7,275 visitors were registered in the agrotourism establishments of the A.C. of the Basque Country in April, 11% less than the same month last year, falling 14% in Bizkaia, 13% in Gipuzkoa and 1% in Alava. The decrease in visitors from the state was 13% in the A.C. of the Basque Country: Alava (-2%), Bizkaia (-16%) and Gipuzkoa (-16%). Visitors from abroad increased in number by 20% in the A.C. of the Basque Country as a whole.

There were 22,013 overnight stays in the agrotourisms of the A.C. of the Basque Country in April, meaning a 6% increase as regards the same month of last year, with a highly positive inter-annual growth rate in Alava (17%), being somewhat more moderate in Bizkaia (6%) and Gipuzkoa (2%).

The average stay per visitor went from 2.54 days a year ago to 3.03 this April, a positive evolution that was shared by all three provinces of the Community.

The degree of occupancy by places registered a slight fall of 2%, as a result of the decrease experienced in all three provinces: Alava (-1%) Bizkaia (-3%), and Gipuzkoa (-2%).

Data regarding Holy Week 2004

In the period between the Monday of Holy Week and Easter Saturday (from 5 to 16 April in 2004), there was a 1% increase in visitors and one of 5% in overnight stays in relation to the equivalent period of last year (14 to 25 April in 2003) in the hotel establishments of the A.C. of the Basque Country.

The average stay in Holy Week increased by 4% (going from 1.88 days last year to 1.96 in 2004) and the degree of occupancy by places increased 2%, coming to 46.82% in 2004.

In the Agrotourism establishments over the same period, there was a 7% decrease in the number of visitors, although overnight stays increased 17%, due to the 25% increase in the average length of stay, going from 2.76 days in 2003 to 3.46 days in 2004.