Press Release 21/12/2016

SURVEY ON HOST TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS, NOVEMBER 2016

Visitors to hotel establishments in the Basque Country increased by 3.6% in November 2016

The number of overnight stays also registered an increase of 5.1% compared to the same month of the previous year

There were 192,628 visitors registered in the hotel establishments of the Basque Country in November 2016, 6,783 up on the same month of the previous year, which is an increase of 3.6%, according to Eustat data. The number of visitors rose by 5.7% in Bizkaia and 4.4% in Gipuzkoa, but were down 5.2% in Álava.

Furthermore, overnight stays registered in hotel establishments of the Basque Country in November 2016 reached 360,457, which was an increase of 5.1% on those registered in November of the previous year, that is, there were 17,496 more overnight stays. There was also a positive year-on-year change in overnight stays in Gipuzkoa, where they rose by 7.3% and in Bizkaia, where they were up by 5.2%, but in Álava they were down by 1.0%.

The number of visitors from within Spain rose by 0.9% in the Basque Country compared to November of the previous year, whilst the number of visitors from abroad increased by 11.0%. Álava registered a 4.2% decrease in visitors from Spain, and a 9.0% decrease in foreign visitors. In Bizkaia the number of Spanish visitors was up by 4.0%, whereas the number of visitors from abroad rose by 10.2%. In Gipuzkoa there was a decrease in Spanish visitor numbers of 0.8%, but the number of foreign visitors rose by 17.1%.

The average length of stay in November was 1.87 days compared with the average stay of 1.85 days registered in November 2015. In Álava, the average length of stay this November was 1.82 days, whereas one year before it was 1.74 days. In Bizkaia, the average stay this November was 1.87 days, and in November 2015 it was 1.88 days. As regards Gipuzkoa, the average length of stay increased, going from 1.84 days in November last year to 1.89 days this November.

There was an increase of 1.3 percentage points in the bed occupancy rate for the Basque Country overall, where it went from 41.0% in November 2015 to 42.3% in November this year. Álava experienced a decrease of 0.3 percentage points, going from 35.0% to 34.7%. Bizkaia saw an increase of 1.6 percentage points, going from a bed occupancy rate of 42.0% in November 2015 to a rate of 43.6% in November 2016. In Gipuzkoa the occupancy rate increased by 1.5 percentage points, going from 42.4% in November 2015 to 43.9% in November 2016.

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The occupancy rate per room also registered an upward trend, with a 3.5 percentage point increase for the Basque Country overall, where it stood at 56.6%. In Álava it was up by 4.9 percentage points, standing at 50.6%; in Bizkaia it increased by 3.3 percentage points to reach 59.7%, while in Gipuzkoa it also rose by 3.2 percentage points, standing at 55.2% occupancy per room.

The highest hotel bed occupancy rate in November this year was in Bilbao (51.6%), followed by Donostia/San Sebastián (50.5%) and Gipuzkoa Costa (41.4%).

Taking into account the day of the week, at weekends there was a higher occupancy in the Basque Country as a whole in November 2016, with 55.7% of places occupied, whilst the registered occupancy stood at 37.4% on weekdays.

In rural accommodation, visitor numbers decreased by 0.3% and overnight stays by 4.0%

There were 7,797 visitors to rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country in November, 0.3% fewer than the same month of the previous year. By province, in Álava the number of visitors increased by 11.4%, but in Bizkaia there was a decrease of 5.6%, and in Gipuzkoa there was also a fall of 2.8%. There was a 19.3% increase in the number of visitors originating from abroad with regards to those received a year ago, representing 7.7% of the total number of visitors. For its part, the number of visitors from within Spain fell by 1.7%.

Rural tourism establishments and country cottages in the Basque Country recorded a total of 16,559 overnight stays in November, with a decrease of 4.0% with respect to the same month of the previous year. At provincial level, they were up 3.8% in Álava, but Bizkaia saw a fall of 13.1% and in Gipuzkoa they were down by 1.8%.

The bed occupancy rate stood at 13.7% with a fall of 1.0 percentage points from the figures obtained in November 2015. Álava recorded a drop of 0.3 percentage points, with a bed occupancy rate of 12.9%. In Bizkaia the occupancy rate was 12.0%, which meant a decrease of 1.8 percentage points in relation to November 2015, and Gipuzkoa saw a fall of 0.7 percentage points, posting an occupancy rate this November of 15.0%. Finally, the average length of stay per visitor decreased with respect to November 2015, going from 2.20 days a year ago to 2.12 this last month of November.

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)