135,860 visitors were registered in the hotel establishments of the A.C. of the Basque Country in November 2005, 2,000 more than for the same month of last year, meaning a 2% increase, according to Eustat data. The number of visitors increased in Bizkaia (5%) and Gipuzkoa (2%), but decreased in Alava (-7%).

The number of visitors from other parts of the state decreased by 3%, while visitors from abroad increased in number by 18%. The number of visitors from the state diminished in all three provinces: in Alava it fell by 6%, in Bizkaia it did so by 3% and in Gipuzkoa there was a 2% decrease. Visitors from overseas increased in number in Bizkaia (28%) and Gipuzkoa (14%), but decreased in Alava (-10%).

Among visitors from the state there was an increase in those coming especially from Aragón, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Cantabria and Galicia, and a decrease in those coming from Catalonia and Madrid, among others. Among those from overseas there was a rise for those coming from France, Latin America, the USA-Canada and other countries, but a fall for those from Portugal, the United Kingdom and Germany in particular.

Overnight stays registered in November 2005 came to 247,800, representing a 3% increase with regard to November of last year, which is to say over 6,500 more overnight stays. Inter-annual evolution of overnight stays was positive in the province of Bizkaia (8%), but not so in Gipuzkoa, where they diminished by 2%, with the figure for Alava remaining unchanged (0%).

The length of the average stay underwent a 1% rise in November 2005 in the A.C. of the Basque Country as a whole, going from 1.80 days last year to 1.82 days this year. The evolution of the average stay was positive in the province of Álava, going from the previous figure of 1.62 days to the current one of 1.74 days and in Bizkaia, going from 1.82 days to 1.87. In Gipuzkoa, however, the average length of stay fell from 1.87 days to 1.81.

The degree of occupancy by places registered negative evolution, with a 2% decrease in the A.C. of the Basque Country overall, while the degree of occupancy by rooms increased slightly (1%). The degree of occupancy by places went from 42.04% to 41.33% and the degree of occupancy by rooms from 54.65% to 55.02%. In Álava there was a decrease in the degree of occupancy by places (-2%) and an increase of the degree of occupancy by rooms (4%). In Bizkaia, the degree of occupancy by places was unchanged (0%) and that of rooms improved by 3%. In Gipuzkoa there was a fall in both the degree of occupancy by places (-3%) and by rooms (-4%).

AGROTOURISM

There was a rise in the number of visitors (6%) and overnight stays (14%)

5,950 visitors were registered in the agrotourism establishments of the A.C. of the Basque Country in November, 6% more than in the same month of last year, growing 26% in Alava and 12% in Gipuzkoa, whereas in Bizkaia there was an 11% decrease. There was a 4% increase in visitors from the state in the A.C. of the Basque Country as a whole and those coming from overseas increased in number by 56%.

There were 13,680 overnight stays in the agrotourism establishments of the A.C. of the Basque Country in November 2005, meaning growth of 14% with regard to the same month of last year, with positive inter-annual evolution rates in the provinces of Gipuzkoa (38%) and Álava (15%), but Bizkaia suffered a setback in relation to previous figures (-17%).

The average visitor stay underwent a 7% increase, rising from 2.14 days last November to 2.30 days this November. This rise in the average stay was due exclusively to Gipuzkoa, which went from 2.17 days average stay in November 2004 to 2.67 days this November. In Alava and Bizkaia there were decreases of 8% and 7%, respectively.

The degree of occupancy by places and by rooms saw increases of 6% and 11% respectively, and this rise originated in the increases registered in the provinces of Gipuzkoa and Alava, since in Bizkaia there was a decrease in the degrees of occupancy by places (-23%) and also by rooms (-18%).

Table 1: Monthly results

Source: EUSTAT