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Press release 22.05.12

SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS (EETR) APRIL 2012

The number of visitors was down by 7% and overnight stays decreased by 3% in April 2012

The 2012 Easter Holiday figures compared to 2011 registered a 13% decrease in the number of visitors and 9% in overnight stays

There were 195,679 visitors registered in the hotel establishments of the Basque Country in April 2012, 13,793 down on the same month of the previous year, which was a decrease of 7%, according to Eustat data. The number of visitors fell by 4% in Bizkaia, 6% in Álava and by 11% in Gipuzkoa, compared to the same month of 2011.

The number of visitors from within Spain fell by 10% compared to April 2011, whilst the number of foreign visitors was slightly up (0.4%). The number of visitors from within Spain dropped in the three provinces: they were down by 13% in Gipuzkoa, 8% in Bizkaia and 5% in Álava. The number of overseas visitors increased by 7% in Bizkaia, but in Álava and Gipuzkoa they were down by 10% and 5%, respectively.

Registered overnight stays in April 2012 totalled 374,281, which was 3% down on the same month of the previous year, that is, there were 12,923 fewer overnight stays. The year-on-year performance of overnight stays was positive in Álava, where they were up 1%, but in Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia there were drops of 8% and 1%, respectively, compared to April 2011.

The length of the average stay increased when compared to April 2011: in April 2012 it went from 1.85 days to 1.91 days for the Basque Country as a whole. In Álava it rose by 7%, standing at 1.92 days, whilst in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa it grew by 3% in both cases, going from 1.90 to 1.92 days, respectively.

The bed occupancy rate was down by 3% for the Basque Country overall, going from an occupancy rate of 48.43% in April 2011 to 47.19% in the same month of this year. The greatest decrease was in Gipuzkoa, where it went from 51.08% to 48.58%; In Álava there was a drop of 2%, going from 44.17% in April 2011 to 43.09% in April 2012, whilst Bizkaia registered an occupancy rate of 47.64% for this April against 47.92% registered the previous year.

During the first four months of the year there were a total of 618,605 visitors registered in the hotel establishments of the Basque Country, which was 3% down on the same period of 2011. The number of overnight stays during this first four-month period came to 1,126,627, 3% down on the figure for the first four months of the previous year. The average stay registered the same figures as the previous year in the four-month period considered, with this average standing at 1.82 days. The bed occupancy rate registered a drop of 2%, going from 37.78% occupancy in the first four months of 2011 to 36.87% for the same period of 2012.

Rural tourism: Visitors were up by 5% and overnight stays fell by 3%

The number of visitors to rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country totalled 12,032 in April, which was 5% up with respect to the same month of the previous year, rising by 1% in Álava, 2% in Bizkaia and 9% in Gipuzkoa. The number of visitors from within Spain in the Basque Country increased by 11%: they were up by 17% in Gipuzkoa, 5% in Álava and 4% in Bizkaia. The number of overseas visitors decreased by 40% for the Basque Country overall, with high percentages in the three provinces.

There were 30,483 overnight stays in rural tourism establishments of the Basque Country in April, which was 3% down on the same month of the previous year, with year-on-year rates being positive in Álava and Gipuzkoa, but negative in Bizkaia.

The average length of stay per visitor decreased with respect to April 2011, dropping from 2.76 days a year ago to 2.53 days this April.

The bed occupancy rate dropped from 26.05% to 24.69%, as a consequence of the drops experienced in Bizkaia (13%) and Gipuzkoa (5%), whereas in Álava there was an increase of 6%.

During the first four months of 2012 there were a total of 30,875 visitors registered in the rural tourism establishments of the Basque Country, which was a 1% increase on the first four-month period of 2011.

The number of overnight stays in the period from January-April 2012 stood at 69,862, down 7% on the same period of the previous year.

Figures referring to Easter 2012

In the period from the Monday of Holy Week to Good Friday (the 2nd to the 13th April in 2012) there was a drop of 12.6% in the number of visitors and 9.2% in overnight stays with regards to the equivalent period of the previous year (from the 18th to the 29th of April 2011) in hotel establishments of the Basque Country.

The average stay at Easter increased, rising from 1.95 days in the previous year to 2.03 in 2012, whereas the bed occupancy rate fell from 52.50% in 2011 to 48.08% in 2012.

In rural tourism establishments, in the same period, there was a 0.6% increase in the number of visitors, although overnight stays were down by 12.6%, with the average stay going from 3.22 days in 2011 to 2.80 days in 2012.

For the main days of the Easter celebrations (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Saturday), the occupancy rate was 74.69%, eight points down on that registered the previous year (81.50%), and stood at 74.55% in rural tourism establishments compared to 77.6% in 2011.