Press release of 20/12/2018

SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS. NOVEMBER 2018

Overnight stays in the Basque Country increased by 13.1% in November 2018

The average daily rate stood at 80.20 euros in November 2018, 10.0% higher than a year ago

There were 225,791 visitors registered in the hotel establishments of the Basque Country in November 2018, 12,648 up on the same month of the previous year, which was an increase of 5.9% according to Eustat data. The number of visitors was up 8.4% in Gipuzkoa and 6.1% in Bizkaia, whereas there was a drop of 0.6% in Álava.

Furthermore, overnight stays registered in hotel establishments of the Basque Country in November 2018 reached 441,233, which was an increase of 13.1% on November of the previous year, that is, there were 51,115 more overnight stays. In Gipuzkoa they increased by 15.4%, in Bizkaia by 12.9% and in Álava by 7.5%.

The number of visitors from within Spain rose by 8.2% in the Basque Country compared to November of the previous year, and the number of visitors from abroad increased by 1.1%. In the case of Álava, entries of Spanish visitors saw a 1.3% upturn and there was an 8.3% decrease in the case of foreign visitors. In Bizkaia, the number of Spanish visitors was up by 8.8%, while the number of visitors from abroad rose by 0.2%. In Gipuzkoa there was an increase in Spanish visitor numbers of 10.7%, whereas the number of foreign visitors rose by 4.3%.

This November the average length of stay was 1.95 days, an improvement upon the 1.83 days average length of stay that was registered in November 2017. In Álava the average length of stay stood at 1.85 days, exceeding the 1.71 days obtained in November 2017; in Bizkaia there was an increase from 1.83 days in November 2017 to 1.95 days this November, and in Gipuzkoa the average length of stay was up from 1.88 days in November 2017 to 2.00 this November.

There was an increase of 4.7 percentage points in the bed occupancy rate for the Basque Country overall, where it went from 45.5% in November 2017 to 50.2% in November this year. In Álava the bed occupancy rate rose by 3.3 percentage points, standing at 45.7% in November 2018. In Bizkaia, the bed occupancy rate rose by 5.4 percentage points, reaching 52.4%. In Gipuzkoa the bed occupancy rate improved by 4.5 percentage points, standing at 49.4% in November 2018.

The occupancy rate per room also registered an increase, with a 4.3 percentage point rise for the Basque Country overall, reaching 63.3%. In Álava it was up by 3.5 percentage points, standing at 59.2%, and in Bizkaia it increased by 4.2 percentage points, reaching 67.2%. Meanwhile, in Gipuzkoa there was a rise of 4.8 percentage points, registering 60.2% occupancy per room.

The highest hotel bed occupancy rate in November this year was in Bilbao (57.7%), followed by San Sebastián (53.6%) and Gipuzkoa Costa (48.5%).

Taking into account the day of the week, at weekends there was a higher occupancy in the Basque Country as a whole in November 2018, with 64.6% of beds occupied, whilst the registered occupancy stood at 44.0% 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 80.2 euros in November 2018, 10.0% up on the year before. The average rate stood at 67.1 euros in Álava, where it fell by 4.7%; 81.1 euros in Bizkaia, with an increase of 15.0%, and 83.9 euros in Gipuzkoa, where it was up by 8.4%.

The revenue per available room (RevPAR) in the Basque Country overall, which is dependent on the occupancy rate of hotel establishments, stood at 50.8 euros in November 2018, an 18.0% increase on November 2017. The RevPAR stood at 39.7 euros in Álava, 54.5 euros in Bizkaia, and 50.5 euros in Gipuzkoa.

The occupancy rate per room during the "Todos los Santos" Bank Holiday was 71.0% in the hotel establishments of the Basque Country

In the Basque Country as a whole there were 36,752 visitors and 76,536 overnight stays during the 2018 "Todos los Santos" Bank Holiday, over the dates of 31 October to 03 November 2018 (4 nights), with an occupancy rate per bed of 64.0% and per room of 71.0%. In Álava there were 5,283 visitors and 9,509 overnight stays in the four given days and bed and room occupancy rates reached 54.8% and 58.0% respectively. In Bizkaia there were 15,910 visitors and 34,086 overnight stays, with a room occupancy rate of 61.7% and a bed occupancy rate of 71.8%. In Gipuzkoa there were 15,559 visitors and 32,941 overnight stays, with a room occupancy rate of 70.0% and a bed occupancy rate of 74.7%.

The occupancy rate per room during MTV stood at 74.8% in the hotel establishments of Bizkaia and at 83.4% in Bilbao

Visitor numbers during the MTV Awards Presentation Show from 2 to 4 November (3 nights), rose to 9,772 in hotel establishments in Bizkaia. In this same period, the total number of overnight stays in Bizkaia was 25,354, with an occupancy rate per room of 74.8%. In Bilbao there were 5,951 visitors and 15,642 overnight stays, with a room occupancy rate of 83.4% over the given days.

In rural accommodation, visitor numbers increased by 34.9% and overnight stays rose by 38.9% in November 2018

There were 11,414 visitors to rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country this November, 34.9% more than the same month of the previous year. By province, in Bizkaia the number of visitors rose by 94.7%, in Gipuzkoa there was an increase of 22.7%, and in Álava visitor numbers were up by 4.2%. The 1,026 visitors originating from abroad signified a rise of 2.2% with regards to those received a year ago and represented 9.0% of the total number of visitors. For their part, visitors from within Spain were up by 39.3%.

Rural tourism establishments and country cottages in the Basque Country recorded a total of 25,763 overnight stays in November, with an increase of 38.9% with respect to the same month of the previous year. At provincial level, in Bizkaia they increased by 88.2%, in Gipuzkoa by 34.9% and in Álava they were up 0.3%.

The bed occupancy rate stood at 20.7% with an increase of 5.6 percentage points on the figures obtained in November 2017. In Álava, there were no changes compared to November 2017, with the same bed occupancy rate of 17.4%. In Bizkaia the occupancy rate was 22.3%, which meant a rise of 9.7 percentage points in relation to November 2017, and Gipuzkoa saw an increase of 5.8 percentage points, posting an occupancy rate this November of 21.2%.

Finally, the average length of stay per visitor increased this November compared to November 2017, going from 2.19 days a year ago to 2.26 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