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Press release 20/06/2013

SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS (EETR) MAY 2013

The number of visitors to the Basque Country was up 2.0% in May 2013

There was also a rise of 0.3% in overnight stays

There were 210,250 visitors registered in the hotel establishments of the Basque Country in May 2013, 4,125 up on the same month of the previous year, which is an increase of 2.0%, according to data prepared by Eustat. The number of visitors fell by 4.9% in Álava, but increased by 1.4% in Bizkaia and by 5.6% in Gipuzkoa, compared to the same month in 2012.

The number of visitors from within Spain fell by 1.8% compared to May 2012, whereas the number of visitors from abroad increased by 8.2%. Visitors from within Spain reduced their presence in the three provinces: in Álava they were down by 8.8%, in Bizkaia they were down by 0.4% and in Álava they decreased by 0.3%. The number of foreigners, however, increased in the three provinces: in Gipuzkoa they were up by 12.7%, in Álava they rose by 5.9% and in Bizkaia there was an increase of 4.5%.

Amongst travellers from other Autonomous Regions there was a greater percentage increase in those coming from the Balearics, the Canary Islands, Murcia and La Rioja, whereas there was a decrease in those coming from Comunidad Valenciana, Aragón, Catalonia and Extremadura, on the whole. Amongst foreign visitors there were rises, above all, in those coming from Austria, Ireland, Sweden and France. Amongst the visitor numbers that experienced a downturn, those from Greece, Holland, Italy and Latin America particularly stood out.

Registered overnight stays in May 2013 totalled 390,427, which was 0.3% up on May of the previous year, that is, there were 1,345 more overnight stays. There was a year-on-year negative evolution for overnight stays in Álava and Bizkaia, where they were down by 9.3% and 3.5%, respectively, but in Gipuzkoa there was an increase of 9.6%, compared to May 2012.

The average length of stay decreased compared to May 2012, going from 1.89 days to 1.86 this May for the Basque Country. In Álava it dropped from 1.91 to 1.82 days; in Bizkaia it was also down, going from 1.89 days in May 2012 to 1.80 days this May, but in Gipuzkoa it increased, going from 1.87 to 1.94 days.

The bed occupancy rate was down by 3% for the Basque Country overall, going from an occupancy rate of 47.66% in May 2012 to 46.23% in the same month of this year. The greatest decrease was in Álava (-6.5%), where it went from 40.23% to 37.61%; In Bizkaia there was a fall of 5.9%, going from 49.11% in May 2012 to 46.21% this May, whilst Gipuzkoa registered an occupancy rate of 50.05% for this May against 49.27% obtained the previous year, with a rise of 1.6%.

Rural tourism: Visitors were down by 1.3% and overnight stays rose by 8.6%

The number of visitors to rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country totalled 9,957 in May, which was 1.3% down on the same month of the previous year, dropping by 8.0% in Bizkaia, 7.4% in Álava and rising 5.3% in Gipuzkoa. There was a 10.7% overall drop in visitors from within Spain to the Basque Country: they were down 23.2% in Bizkaia, 6.1% in Gipuzkoa and 4.7% in Álava. Foreign visitors increased their numbers by 52.2% in the Basque Country as a whole, with high percentage increases in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, and a sharp drop in Álava.

Overnight stays in rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country stood at 21,581 in May, meaning an increase of 8.6% compared to the same month of the previous year, with negative year-on-year rates in Álava, where they were down by 4.5%, and in Bizkaia, where they dropped by 2.7%, but in Gipuzkoa there was an increase of 20.7%.

The average length of stay per visitor increased with respect to May 2012, rising from 1.97 days a year ago to 2.17 days this May.

The bed occupancy rate rose from 15.75% to 17.38% as a result, above all, of the increase experienced in Gipuzkoa (21.5%) which reached an occupancy rate of 20.16% this May. In Bizkaia, with 15.09%, there was also a slight increase (2.4%), whilst in Álava the occupancy rate stood at 14.46%, following a drop of 5.8%.

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