174,806 visitors were registered in the hotel establishments of the A.C. of the Basque Country in September 2005, almost 8,000 more than those recorded for the same month of last year, meaning a 4% increase, according to Eustat data. The number of visitors increased in the provinces of Bizkaia (8%) and Alava (5%), but remained practically unchanged in relation to the same month of last year in Gipuzkoa (0.0%).

The number of visitors from other parts of the state grew by 3%, while visitors coming from overseas increased by 7%. Visitors from the state increased in number in Bizkaia (9%) and in Alava (7%), but decreased in Gipuzkoa by 3%. Numbers of overseas visitors increased in the three provinces of the A.C. of the Basque Country: 9% in Gipuzkoa, 7% in Bizkaia and 1% in Alava.

Among visitors from the state, there was an increase in the numbers of those coming chiefly from Madrid, Catalonia, Andalucia and Galicia and a fall for those coming from Aragon, the Balearic Islands and the Community of Valencia, among others. As for those coming from abroad, there was a rise for those from France, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and Portugal, among others, and a fall for those mainly from the United Kingdom, USA- Canada and Holland.

The total number of overnight stays registered in September 2005 came to 334,594, representing a 1% increase in relation to September last year, or almost 2,000 more overnight stays. Inter-annual evolution of overnight stays was positive in the provinces of Gipuzkoa (3%) and Alava (1%), but not so in the province of Bizkaia, where there was a 2% setback.

The average length of stay underwent a 4% decrease in September 2005 in the A.C. of the Basque County as a whole, going from 1.99 days last year to 1.91 days this year. The evolution of the average stay was only positive in the province of Gipuzkoa, going from the previous figure of 2.04 days to the latest one of 2.09 days.

The evolution of the occupancy rate by places and by rooms was negative, with a 2% decrease in the A.C. of the Basque Country as a whole. The occupancy rate by places went from 56.42% to 55.14% and the occupancy rate by rooms went from 68.00% to 66.75%. Gipuzkoa was the only province where there was an improvement in the occupancy rate by both places (1%) and by rooms (3%).

In July, August and September there was an 8% rise in the number of visitors in the A.C. of the Basque Country with regard to the same period of 2004, an increase that chiefly benefited the province of Bizkaia (15%), and to a lesser degree Alava (9%), with Gipuzkoa remaining unchanged (0.0%). An 8% increase in overnight stays was registered during this period, over 83,000 more overnight stays than during summer 2004. This increase was reflected in the three provinces, in Bizkaia (12%), in Gipuzkoa (4%) and in Alava (8%).

AGROTOURISM

The number of visitors rose (18%), but there was a fall in the number of overnight stays (-1.0 %)

September saw 9,368 visitors registered in the agrotourism establishments of the A.C. of the Basque Country, 18% more than the same month of last year, growing 16% in Alava and 34% in Gipuzkoa, although there was a 4% decrease in Bizkaia. The increase in visitors from within the state was 19% in the A.C. of the Basque Country and the number of those coming from overseas rose by 6%.

There were 23,566 overnight stays in the agrotourism establishments of the A.C. of the Basque Country in September 2005, meaning a 1% fall as regards last year, with negative inter-annual evolution rates in the provinces of Bizkaia (-16%) and Alava (-13%), but improving on previous results in the case of Gipuzkoa (10%).

The average stay per visitor suffered a 16% fall, dropping from 3.00 days in September last year to 2.52 says this September. This reduction of the average stay affected all three provinces of the A.C. of the Basque Country.

The occupancy rate by places and by rooms fell by 8%, a decrease that stemmed from the results in the provinces of Alava and Bizkaia, since in Gipuzkoa there was a rise in the occupancy rate by places and also by rooms.

The months of July, August and September saw 15% more visitors than last year in the agrotourism establishments of the A.C. of the Basque Country, while overnight stays registered a 4% rise compared to the same period of last year.

Table 1: Monthly results

Source: EUSTAT