Press Release 19/12/2014

SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS (ETR) NOVEMBER 2014

Visitors to hotel establishments in the Basque Country increased by 3.5% in November 2014

The number of overnight stays registered an increase of 3.3% compared to the same month of the previous year

There were 176,349 visitors registered in the hotel establishments of the Basque Country in November 2014, 5,967 up on the same month of the previous year, which is an increase of 3.5%, according to Eustat data. Visitor numbers increased in the three provinces: in Álava by 16.1%, in Bizkaia by 1.3% and in Gipuzkoa by 1.1%.

Furthermore, overnight stays registered in hotel establishments of the Basque Country in November 2014 reached 320,999, which was an increase of 3.3% on those registered in November of the previous year, that is, there were 10,193 more overnight stays. There was also a positive year-on-year change in overnight stays in Álava, where they rose by 16.2% and in Bizkaia, where they were up by 2.3%, but in Gipuzkoa they were down by 0.3%.

The number of visitors from within Spain rose by 1.5% compared to November of the previous year, whilst the number of visitors from abroad rose by 8.9%. Álava saw an increase in foreign visitors of 12.4% and a rise in Spanish visitors of 16.9%. In Bizkaia the number of Spanish visitors was down by 1.6%, whereas the number of visitors from abroad rose by 8.8%. In Gipuzkoa there was an increase in foreign visitor numbers of 8.1%, and the number of Spanish visitors fell by 1.7%.

The average length of stay stood at 1.82 days, the same as registered in November of previous year. In Álava there was no noticeable change between the average length of stay in November 2013 and November 2014, which in both cases was 1.68 days; in Bizkaia it rose from 1.84 days in November 2013 to 1.86 days last November; in Gipuzkoa it fell from an average length of stay of 1.87 days in November 2013 to 1.84 last November.

There was an increase of 1.5 percentage points in the bed occupancy rate for the Basque Country overall, where it went from 37.5% in November 2013 to 39.0% in November this year. Álava witnessed a rise of 5.1 percentage points, dropping from an occupancy rate of 32.4% in November 2013 to a rate of 37.5% this November. Bizkaia saw an increase of 1.6 percentage points, going from a bed occupancy rate of 38.2% in November 2013 to a rate of 39.8% in November 2014. In Gipuzkoa the occupancy rate showed no significant change, remaining at 38.7%.

The occupancy rate per room was also positive, up by 2.8 percentage points for the Basque Country overall, where the occupancy rate per room stood at 50.2%. In Álava it was up by 6.3 percentage points, standing at 47.8%; and in Bizkaia it increased by 3.5 percentage points, standing at 53.1%; whereas in Gipuzkoa it rose by 0.4 percentage points, standing at 47.7% occupancy per room.

The highest hotel bed occupancy rate in November this year was in Bilbao (47.0%), followed by Donostia/San Sebastián (44.9%) and Vitoria-Gasteiz (40.5%).

Taking into account the day of the week, at weekends there was a higher occupancy in the Basque Country as a whole in November 2014, with 53.3% of places occupied, whilst the registered occupancy stood at 32.8% on weekdays.

In rural accommodation, visitor numbers decreased by 7.0% and overnight stays fell by 6.0% in November

Rural tourism establishments and country cottages in the Basque Country recorded a total of 15,736 overnight stays in November, with an decrease of 6.0% with respect to the same month of the previous year. At provincial level, they were up by 13.4% in Álava and by 30.1% in Bizkaia, but there was a 26.0% fall in Gipuzkoa.

The bed occupancy rate stood at 13.7% with a fall of 0.6 percentage points from the figures obtained in November 2013. Álava recorded an increase of 2.7 percentage points, with a bed occupancy rate of 14.9%. In Bizkaia the occupancy rate stood at 13.8%, representing an increase of 3.2 percentage points in comparison with November 2013. For its part, Gipuzkoa experienced a fall of 4.5 percentage points, with an occupancy rate of 13.1% for November.

There were 7,026 visitors to rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country in November, 7.0% fewer than the same month of the previous year. By province, in Álava the number of visitors rose by 4.8%, in Bizkaia there was an increase of 35.6%, and in Gipuzkoa there was a decrease of 23.7%.

The 703 visitors originating from abroad signified an increase of 80.7% with regards to those received a year ago and represented 10.0% of the total number of visitors. For its part, the number of visitors from within Spain fell by 11.7%.

Finally, the average length of stay per visitor increased slightly last November with respect to November 2013, going from 2.22 days a year ago to 2.24 this last month.

For further information:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tel: 945 01 75 62 Further press releases on ETR – Survey on Tourist Establishments of the Basque Country (ETR) Databank on the Survey on Tourist Establishments of the Basque Country (ETR)