HomeThemesHotel establishmentsPress releases The number of visitors...

Press Release 21/09/2012

SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS (EETR ) AUGUST 2012

The number of visitors to the Basque Country was up 4.6% in August 2012

There was also a rise of 2.1% in overnight stays

There were 279,407 visitors registered in the hotel establishments of the Basque Country in August 2012, 12,262 up on the same month of the previous year, which is an increase of 4.6%, according to Eustat data. The number of visitors increased by 1.9% in Álava, 6.9% in Bizkaia and 2.8% in Gipuzkoa.

Numbers of visitors from Spain were up by 2.2% in the Basque Country as a whole. Spanish visitors increased their presence in the three provinces: in Bizkaia they were up by 4.1% and in Gipuzkoa by 2.0% in Alava they were down by 2.7%. The number of foreign visitors to the Basque Country was up by 8.0%. In Álava they increased by 10.3%, in Bizkaia they rose by 10.9% and in Gipuzkoa they were up by 3.8%.

Amongst travellers from within Spain there was a greater percentage increase in those coming from Murcia, Andalusia, Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha, whilst there was a drop in those coming from Catalonia, Galicia, Aragón and Asturias, on the whole. There was a rise amongst foreign visitors above all from France, Holland, the United Kingdom and those from European countries outside the community. The drop in visitors from Italy, Greece and Latin America was particularly noticeable.

Registered overnight stays in August 2012 totalled 591,412, which was 2.1% up on the same month of the previous year, that is, there were 12,080 more overnight stays. There was a positive year-on-year change in overnight stays in Álava, where they rose by 2.9%, and in Bizkaia, where they grew by 3.7%, but in Gipuzkoa there was hardly any change -0.1%.

The average length of stay increased by 2.3% with respect to August 2011 for the Basque Country as a whole, going from 2.17 days in August 2011 to 2.12 days in August 2012. In Álava the average stay was 1.91 days compared to the 1.90 days recorded in August 2011; in Bizkaia it went from 2.13 days to 2.07 this August and in Gipuzkoa the average stay was 2.27 days, compared to the 2.33 days in August 2011.

The bed occupancy rate experienced a rise of 2.1%, and stood at 69.64% in August 2012 for the Basque Country overall. This rise affected the three provinces. In Bizkaia there was an increase of 4.3%, going from 65.87% in August 2011 to 68.67% this August. In Gipuzkoa there was a positive change of 0.7%, where it went from 75.82% in August 2011 to 76.34% in August 2012, and in Álava there was a rise of 0.0%, with occupancy going from 58.55% in August 2011 to 58.54% in August 2012.

RURAL TOURISM

Visitor numbers rose by 5.2% and overnight stays were up 3.8%, compared to August 2011

In August this year there were 18,458 registered visitors to rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country, which was a rise of 5.2% with respect to the visitors to rural tourism establishments in August 2011. By provinces, it was observed that in Álava there was a drop of 23.4%, whilst in Bizkaia there was a rise of 13.9% and in Gipuzkoa there was an increase of 8.4%. There was a 3.0% overall rise in visitors from within Spain to the Basque Country: they were up 10.8% in Bizkaia and 6.5% in Gipuzkoa, but they were down 22.3% in Álava. Foreign visitor numbers were up by 17.7% in the Basque Country as a whole, rising significantly in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, but dropping in Álava, all in percentage terms.

Overnight stays in rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country stood at 77.964 in August, which was an increase of 3.8% on the previous year, with positive year-on-year figures for Bizkaia (8.7%) and Gipuzkoa (7.4%), whereas they were down in Álava (-20.3%)

The average length of stay decreased by -1.4% in the Basque Country as a whole with respect to August 2011, going from 4.28 days one year ago to 4.22 days in August 2012. In Álava there was a rise of 4.2%, with the average stay going from 4.03 days in August 2011 to 4.20 days in August 2012; in Bizkaia there was a drop of 4.6%, with the average stay going from 4.09 days in August 2011 to 3.90 days in August 2012, and in Gipuzkoa there was a slight improvement, where it went from 4.47 days in August 2011 to 4.43 days in the same month of this year.

The bed occupancy rate registered an increase of 0.5%, going from 58.58% occupancy to 58.87% as a result of the rises experienced in the provinces of Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, which were up 6.0% and 0.5%, respectively. Álava, however, experienced a drop of 17.5%.

Hotel and Rural Tourism Establishments in the Basque Country. Monthly results