Press release of 22/10/2018

SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS. SEPTEMBER 2018

Visitors to hotel establishments in the Basque Country rose by 3.4% in September 2018

In the summer months (July, August and September) visitors were up by 4.3% and overnight stays by 5.9%

There were 299,174 visitors registered in the hotel establishments of the Basque Country in September 2018, 9,779 up on the same month of the previous year, which is an increase of 3.4% according to Eustat data. The number of visitors was up 8.1% in Gipuzkoa and 1.5% in Bizkaia, whereas there was a drop of 2.5% in Álava.

Furthermore, overnight stays registered in hotel establishments of the Basque Country in September 2018 reached 601,083, which was an increase of 6.5% on those registered in September of the previous year, that is, there were 36,646 more overnight stays. In Gipuzkoa they rose by 10.6%, in Álava they were up 5.3% and in Bizkaia there was an increase of 3.3%.

The number of visitors from within Spain rose by 3.5% in the Basque Country compared to September of the previous year, and the number of visitors from abroad increased by 3.2%. In the case of Álava, entries of Spanish visitors saw a 3.9% downturn and a 0.1% increase in the case of foreign visitors. In Bizkaia, the number of Spanish visitors was up by 0.5%, while the number of visitors from abroad rose by 2.6%. In Gipuzkoa there was an increase in Spanish visitor numbers of 12.0%, whereas the number of foreign visitors rose by 4.8%.

This September the average length of stay was 2.01 days, an improvement upon the 1.95 days average length of stay that was registered in September 2017. In Álava the average length of stay stood at 1.89 days, exceeding the1.75 days obtained in September 2017; in Bizkaia there was an increase from 1.91 days in September 2017 to 1.95 days this September, and in Gipuzkoa the average length of stay was up from 2.08 days in September 2017 to 2.12 this September.

There was an increase of 2.1 percentage points in the bed occupancy rate for the Basque Country overall, where it went from 64.5% in September 2017 to 66.6% in September this year. In Álava the bed occupancy rate rose by 3.0 percentage points, standing at 60.6% in September 2018. In Bizkaia, the bed occupancy rate rose by 0.4 percentage points, reaching 64.9%. In Gipuzkoa the bed occupancy rate improved by 3.7 percentage points, standing at 70.8% in September 2018.

The occupancy rate per room also registered an increase, with a 2.9 percentage point rise for the Basque Country overall, reaching 80.2%. In Álava it was up by 5.5 percentage points, standing at 74.1%, and in Bizkaia it increased by 1.1 percentage points, reaching 80.4%. Meanwhile, in Gipuzkoa there was a rise of 4.1 percentage points, registering 82.2% occupancy per room.

The highest hotel bed occupancy rate in September this year was in Donostia/San Sebastián (77.5%), followed by Rioja Alavesa (76.8%) and Gipuzkoa Costa (76.5%)

Taking into account the day of the week, at weekends there was a higher occupancy in the Basque Country as a whole in September 2018, with 72.8% of beds occupied, whilst the registered occupancy stood at 63.9% on weekdays.

Finally, with regards to the profitability indicators of the sector, the average daily rate (ADR) of hotels in the Basque Country stood at 101.8 euros in September 2018, 6.7% up on the year before... The average rate stood at 73.7 euros in Álava, where it fell by 3.5%; 89.5 euros in Bizkaia, with an increase of 13.6%, and 125.6 euros in Gipuzkoa, where it was up by 2.6%.

The revenue per available room (RevPAR) in the Basque Country overall, which is dependent on the occupancy rate of hotel establishments, stood at 81.7 euros in September 2018, a 10.8% increase on September 2017. The RevPAR stood at 54.6 euros in Álava, 71.9 euros in Bizkaia, and 103.3 euros in Gipuzkoa.

The bed occupancy rate during the San Sebastián Zinemaldia Film Festival stood at 92.4% in the hotel establishments of the Gipuzkoa capital

Visitor numbers during the 2018 San Sebastián Zinemaldia Film Festival increased to 20,617 in the hotel establishments of Donostia/San Sebastián between 20 and 29 September 2018 (10 nights). In this same period, the total number of overnight stays was 46,943, with an occupancy rate per bed of 75.9% and per room of 92.4%.

The occupancy rate per room during FesTVAL, the Vitoria-Gasteiz television festival, stood at 78.4% in the hotel establishments of Vitoria-Gasteiz

Visitor numbers during the 2018 FesTVal, the Vitoria-Gasteiz television festival, increased to 4,908 in the hotel establishments of Vitoria-Gasteiz between 04 and 09 September 2018 (6 nights). In this same period there were 11,043 overnight stays. The occupancy rate per room was 78.4% in 2018, and the bed occupancy rate was 60.8%.

Balance for July, August and September Visitors were up by 4.3% and overnight stays by 5.9%

In the months of July, August and September as a whole, visitor numbers to the Basque Country rose by 4.3%, in other words there were 40,198 more visitors than in the same three months of 2017. Gipuzkoa saw a 7.2% increase in visitor numbers compared to the same period of the previous year, in Bizkaia there was a rise in visitor numbers of 4.1%, but in Álava there was a drop of 2.4%.

Overnight stays registered a rise of 5.9% in the Basque Country overall. There were 112,648 more overnight stays in July, August and September 2018 compared to July, August and September 2017. In Gipuzkoa they were up by 8.4%, in Bizkaia they increased by 5.2%, and in Álava they rose by 0.7%.

The bed occupancy rate achieved in July, August and September 2018 for the Basque Country overall stood at 72.6%, an improvement of 1.9 percentage points on the 70.7% obtained in the same period of 2017.

In rural accommodation, visitor numbers increased by 7.4% and overnight stays rose by 11.8% in September 2018

There were 18,267 visitors to rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country this September, 7.4% more than the same month of the previous year. By province, in Bizkaia the number of visitors rose by 9.2%, in Gipuzkoa there was an increase of 7.3%, and in Álava visitor numbers were up by 4.1%. The 5,020 visitors originating from abroad signified a rise of 9.3% with regards to those received a year ago and represented 27.5% of the total number of visitors. For their part, visitors from within Spain were up by 6.6%.

Rural tourism establishments and country cottages in the Basque Country recorded a total of 46,435 overnight stays in September, with an increase of 11.8% with respect to the same month of the previous year. At provincial level, in Gipuzkoa they increased by 14.8%, in Bizkaia they rose by 8.8% and in Álava they were up by 5.7%.

The bed occupancy rate stood at 35.4% with an increase of 3.6 percentage points on the figures obtained in September 2017. Álava recorded a rise of 0.5 percentage points, with a bed occupancy rate of 21.3%. In Bizkaia the occupancy rate was 33.1%, which meant an increase of 3.2 percentage points in relation to September 2017, and Gipuzkoa saw a rise of 5.4 percentage points to reach an occupancy rate this September of 43.3%.

Finally, the average length of stay per visitor increased this September with respect to September 2017, going from 2.44 days a year ago to 2.54 this last month.

Balance for July, August and September in rural accommodation: Visitors were up by 2.3% and overnight stays by 8.4%

In the months of July, August and September as a whole, visitor numbers to the Basque Country rose by 2.3%, in other words there were 1,425 more visitors than in the same three months of 2017. Álava saw a 5.4% increase in visitor numbers compared to the same period of the previous year, in Bizkaia there was a rise in visitor numbers of 3.9% and in Gipuzkoa they were up by 0.4%.

Overnight stays registered a rise of 8.4% in the Basque Country overall. There were 16,269 more overnight stays than in July, August and September 2017. In Álava they were up by 12.6%, in Bizkaia they increased by 12.3%, and in Gipuzkoa they rose by 5.4%.

The bed occupancy rate achieved in July, August and September 2018 for the Basque Country overall stood at 50.9%, an improvement of 3.7 percentage points on the 47.2% obtained in the same period of 2017.

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