Press Release 22/10/2013
Overnight stays of visitors in hotel establishments in the Basque Country were down by 2.5% in September
In the balance for July, August and September, visitor numbers increased and overnight stays decreased
Overnight stays registered in hotel establishments of the Basque Country in September 2013 stood at 460,342, which was a drop of 2.5% on those registered in September 2012, according to data prepared by EUSTAT. Overnight stays had a negative year-on-year evolution in Álava, with a drop of 12.6%, and in Bizkaia, where they fell by 2.1%, but in Gipuzkoa they were up by 0.8%.
Moreover, there were 235,777 visitors registered in the hotel establishments of the Basque Country in September 2013, 1,739 down on the same month of the previous year, which was a decrease of 0.7%. Visitor numbers fell by 6.2% in Álava and 0.3% in Gipuzkoa, but in Bizkaia they increased by 0.7%.
The number of foreign visitors rose by 0.6% in comparison with the month of September in 2012, whilst the number of Spanish visitors fell by 1.6%. Álava saw a decrease in visitor numbers from abroad, down 11.4%, and Spanish visitors, down 3.6%. In contrast, Bizkaia reported positive results for foreign visitors, up 1.1%, and for national visitors, up 0.4%. In Gipuzkoa, the number of Spanish visitors fell, down 3.5%; however, foreign visitors rose by 3.6%.
The average length of stay stood at 1.95 days representing a drop with respect to that of the previous year, 1.99 days. In Álava this figure fell from 1.93 in September 2012 to 1.80 this September; in Bizkaia it was down from 1.94 to 1.88 days; and in Gipuzkoa it improved slightly, going from 2.08 to 2.10 days.
There was a reduction in the bed occupancy rate for the Basque Country overall, where it went from 55.5% in September 2012 to 53.9% in September this year. Álava witnessed a fall of 3.7 percentage points, dropping from an occupancy rate of 49.0% in September 2012 to a rate of 45.3% this September. In Bizkaia there was an occupancy rate of 53.1% compared to 54.1% the previous year, 1 percentage point less than in 2012. In Gipuzkoa the occupancy rate fell from 60.5% in September 2012 to 58.7%, a fall of 1.8 percentage points.
The highest hotel occupancy rate in September was recorded in Donostia/San Sebastián (69.1%), followed by the coast of Guipuzkoa (63.7%), Rioja Alavesa (61.8%) and Bilbao (60.9%).
Taking into account the day of the week, at weekends there was a higher occupancy in the Basque Country as a whole in September 2013, with 64.2% of places occupied, whilst the registered occupancy stood at 50.2% on weekdays.
The number of personnel employed in hotel establishments in the Basque Country in September 2013 fell by 2.0% in comparison with September 2012.
Balance for the summer: the province of Gipuzkoa showed the best performance, Bizkaia received more visitors but not more overnight stays, and both figures were down in Álava
In the summer months of July, August and September visitor numbers to the Basque Country rose by 0.3% with regards to the same period of 2012, an increase of 2,032. The greatest increase in visitors was seen in Gipuzkoa, up 3.2%, followed by Bizkaia, up 0.2%; in Álava, however, they were down by 6.5%. It was the number of foreign visitors that increased in the summer of 2013, up 1.7%, which compensated the fall in Spanish visitors, which were down 0.9% for the Basque Country as a whole. Both foreign and Spanish visitor numbers fell in Álava, with foreign visitors (-11.6%) falling more than Spanish ones (-3.5%); in Bizkaia, foreign visitor numbers increased (1.8%) but Spanish ones decreased (-0.9%); Gipuzkoa, however, saw increased numbers of both types of visitor, above all foreign ones (6.1%) and to a lesser degree Spanish ones (0.6%).
There was a negative performance of 0.9% in the number of overnight stays. In Álava and Bizkaia there were decreases of 9.3% and 2.2%, respectively, but in Gipuzkoa there was an increase of 3.8%.
The average length of stay went from 2.06 days in 2012 to an average of 2.03 days in the summer months of 2013, and the occupancy rate stood at 60.5% in those three months, one percentage point down on the same period of the previous year.
Overnight stays in rural accommodation fell by 9.0% and visitor numbers were down by 4.2% in September 2013
Rural tourism establishments and country cottages in the Basque Country recorded a total of 26,844 overnight stays in September, which was a drop of 9.0% in comparison with the same month of the previous year. At provincial level, Bizkaia recorded a drop of 25.0%, whereas Álava registered a less severe fall of 12.6%. However, Gipuzkoa witnessed an increase of 0.7% with regards to September of the previous year.
The bed occupancy rate, 22.1%, also experienced a downturn of 1.6 percentage points in relation to September 2012. Álava also recorded a decrease of 1.7 percentage points, with a bed occupancy rate of 14.5%. The fall experienced in Bizkaia was 4.8 percentage points, with the occupancy rate in September standing at 17.9%. In Gipuzkoa the occupancy rate stood at 28.1%, representing an increase of 0.5 percentage points in comparison with September 2012.
There were 10,536 visitors to rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country in September, 4.2% down on the same month of the previous year. By provinces, in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa there were drops of 12.2% and 6.1% respectively; whilst in Álava the number of visitors rose by 21.5%.
The 1,619 visitors originating from abroad signified a decrease of 26.6% with regards to those received a year ago and represented 15.4% of the total number of visitors. For their part, the number of visitors from within Spain was up by 1.5%.
Lastly, the average length of stay per visitor was slightly down, going from 2.68 days a year ago to 2.55 days in September 2013.
In the months of July, August and September 2013 there was an overall decrease of 6.8% in overnight stays in Basque rural accommodation with regards to the same months of the previous year. All three provinces were negatively affected, with a drop of 0.9% in Álava, 16.4% in Bizkaia and 2.8% in Gipuzkoa. The number of visitors also showed a negative variation of 1.9%, although the provinces performed differently. Specifically, Álava and Gipuzkoa registered growth of 10.8% and 2.8%, respectively, and there was a fall of 14.9% in Bizkaia. The bed occupancy rate fell by 2.3 percentage points, standing at 37.9% in this three month period, and the average stay stood at 3.23 days for the Basque Country as a whole.
Note: The Statistics on Tourist Establishments for June were gathered in accordance with a methodology that has meant large changes in all stages of the operation, and that allows better desegregations of results, both geographical and temporal. Furthermore, the reference framework has been updated, incorporating units that were previously not collected. This has meant the recalculating of the entire reference series and the Databank shows the linked series for the main variables.
For further information:
Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Instituto Vasco de Estadística
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tlf: 945 01 75 62
Further press releases on ETR - Survey on Tourist Establishments of the Basque Country
Databank on ETR - Survey on Tourist Establishments of the Basque Country