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Press Release 22/10/2012

SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS (EETR) SEPTEMBER 2012

The number of visitors was down by 0.3% and overnight stays increased by 1.9% in September 2012

In the balance for July, August and September there were increases in both visitors and overnight stays of 0.6% and 0.9%, respectively

There were 228,485 visitors registered in the hotel establishments of the Basque Country in September 2012, 633 down on the same month of the previous year, which is a decrease of 0.3%, according to Eustat data. Visitor numbers fell by 5.5% in Álava and 0.5% in Bizkaia, but in Gipuzkoa they increased by 23%.

Numbers of visitors from Spain were down by 4.9% in the Basque Country as a whole. Visitors from Spain reduced their presence in the three provinces: in Álava they were down by 9.4%, in Bizkaia they were down by 6.2% and in Gipuzkoa there was a decrease of 0.4%. The number of foreign visitors to the Basque Country was up by 7.1%. In Álava they increased by 4.0%, in Bizkaia they rose by 9.1% and in Gipuzkoa they were up by 5.8%.

Amongst visitors from within Spain there was an increase in those coming from Andalusia and Ceuta and Melilla, whilst there was a greater percentage drop in those originating from the Canaries, Castilla y León, the Balearics and Extremadura, on the whole. Amongst foreign visitors there were rises, above all, in those coming from Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Belgium and the United Kingdom. Falls in visitor numbers from Greece, Italy and Germany were particularly noteworthy.

Registered overnight stays in September 2012 totalled 450,917, which was 1.9% up on the same month of the previous year, that is, there were 8,460 more overnight stays. There was a positive evolution in overnight states in the three provinces: in Álava they increased by 2.5%, in Bizkaia they grew by 2.6% and in Gipuzkoa they were up by 0.8%.

The average length of stay increased by 2.1% with respect to September 2011 for the Basque Country as a whole, going from 1.93 days in September 2011 to 1.97 days in September 2012. In Álava the average stay was 1.92 days compared to the 1.77 days recorded in September 2011; in Bizkaia it went from 1.86 days in September 2011 to 1.92 this September, and in Gipuzkoa the average stay for this September was 2.07 days, compared to the 2.10 days in September 2011.

There was a 1.6% rise in bed occupancy, where it stood at 55.55% in September 2012 for the Basque Country overall. This rise affected the three provinces. In Bizkaia there was an increase of 2.6%, where it went from 53.13% in September 2011 to 54.50% this September. In Gipuzkoa there was a positive change of 1.0%, where it went from 60.49% in September 2011 to 61.08% in September 2012, and in Álava there was a rise of 0.5%, with occupancy going from 46.84% in September 2011 to 47.07% in September 2012.

In the summer months of July, August and September visitor numbers to the Basque Country rose by 0.6% with regards to the same period of 2011, an increase of 4,451. They were up by 2.0% in Bizkaia, but fell by 1.4% in Álava and by 0.3% in Gipuzkoa. There was a positive performance of 0.9% in the number of overnight stays in the same period. In Álava and Bizkaia there were increases of 4.2% and 1.8%, respectively, but in Gipuzkoa there was a decrease of 1.3%. There was a slight rise in the average length of stay, which went from 2.02 days in 2011 to an average of 2.03 days in the summer months of 2012, and the occupancy rate stood at 61.95% in those three months, 1.1% up on the same period of the previous year.

RURAL TOURISM

Visitor numbers rose by 5.4% and overnight stays were up 6.5%, compared to September 2011

In August this year there were 10,927 registered visitors to rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country, which was a rise of 5.4% with respect to the visitors to rural tourism establishments in September 2011. By provinces, it was observed that in Álava there was a drop of 15.7%, whilst in Bizkaia there was a rise of 2.8% and in Gipuzkoa an increase of 14.9% was observed. There was a 0.3% overall rise in visitors from within Spain to the Basque Country: they were up 5.3% in Bizkaia and 6.7% in Gipuzkoa, but they were down 21.3% in Álava. Foreign visitor numbers were up by 38.3% in the Basque Country as a whole, rising significantly in Álava and Gipuzkoa, but dropping in Bizkaia, all in percentage terms.

Overnight stays in rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country stood at 29,089 in September, which was an increase of 6.5% on the previous year, with positive year-on-year figures for Bizkaia, where they were up by 4.3%, and for Gipuzkoa, where they increased by 11.7%, whereas they were down by 7.3% in Álava.

The average length of stay per visitor increased by 0.8% in the Basque Country as a whole with respect to September 2011, going from 2.64 days one year ago to 2.66 days in September 2012. In Álava there was a rise of 9.8%, with the average stay going from 2.24 days in September 2011 to 2.46 days in September 2012; in Bizkaia there was a rise of 1.2%, with the average stay going from 2.58 days in September 2011 to 2.61 days in September 2012, and in Gipuzkoa there was a drop of 2.8%, where the average stay went from 2.82 days in September 2011 to 2.74 days in the same month of this year.

The bed occupancy rate registered an increase of 5.3%, going from 22.34% occupancy to 23.53% as a result of the rises experienced in the provinces of Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, which were up by 3.4% and 8.5%, respectively. Álava, however, experienced a drop of 5.0%.

In the months of July, August and September 2012 there was an increase of 7.8% in the figures for visitor numbers in Basque rural tourism establishments with regards to the same months of the previous year, which by provinces translated as growth in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa of 13.1% and 12.5%, respectively, and a drop of 16.3% for Álava. There was a total rise of 6.2% in the number of overnight stays, negatively affecting Álava, with a decrease of 13.7%, whilst in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa there were increases of 11.3% and 8.8%, respectively. The bed occupancy rate rose by 4.1%, standing at 41.47% in this three month period, and the average stay stood at 3.44 days for the Basque Country as a whole.