Press release of 21/02/2019

SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS, JANUARY 2019

Visitors to hotel establishments in the Basque Country were up by 2.9% and overnight stays by 5.2% in January 2019

The average daily rate (ADR) of hotels in the Basque Country as a whole saw a decrease of 1.4% compared to the previous year, standing at 66.2 euros

In January 2019, hotel establishments in the Basque Country registered a 2.9% rise in visitor numbers compared to January 2018. Thus, there were 161,662 visitors, 4,537 more than in January 2018, according to Eustat data. The number of visitors was up 6.1% in Gipuzkoa and 1.9% in Bizkaia, whereas in Álava there was a drop of 2.2%.

Furthermore, overnight stays reached 306,818, which was an increase of 5.2% on those registered in January of the previous year, that is, there were 15,175 more overnight stays. There was also a positive year-on-year trend in overnight stays in the three provinces: in Gipuzkoa they increased by 7.9%, in Bizkaia they were up 4.2% and in Álava there was a rise of 1.6%.

The number of visitors from within Spain rose by 2.6% in the Basque Country compared to January of the previous year, whilst the number of visitors from abroad increased by 3.6%. Álava registered a 0.5% increase in visitors from within Spain, and a drop of 11.8% in visitors from abroad. In Bizkaia, the number of Spanish visitors was up by 2.5%, while the number of visitors from abroad rose by 0.6%. In Gipuzkoa there was a 3.6% increase in visitors from within Spain, and a rise of 10.7% in those from abroad.

This January the average length of stay was 1.90 days, an improvement upon the 1.86 days average length of stay that was registered in January 2018. In Álava there was an increase from 1.81 days last year to 1.88 days in January this year; in Bizkaia it rose from 1.90 days in January 2018 to 1.94 days this January; and for its part, the average length of stay in Gipuzkoa rose from 1.82 days in January 2018 to 1.85 days this January.

There was an increase of 1.1 percentage points in the bed occupancy rate for the Basque Country overall, reaching a rate of 37.1% in January this year. Álava experienced a rise of 1.2 percentage points, going from an occupancy rate of 33.6% in January 2018 to a rate of 34.8% in January 2019. Bizkaia saw an increase of 1.5 percentage points, with a rate of 37.8% this January. In Gipuzkoa the occupancy rate rose 0.5 percentage points, from the 36.6 % achieved in January 2018 to 37.1 % this January.

The occupancy rate per room also registered an upward trend, with a 1.3 percentage point increase for the Basque Country overall, reaching 47.5%. In Álava it was up by 1.5 percentage points, standing at 45.7%; in Bizkaia it increased by 1.4 percentage points to reach 49.1%; whereas in Gipuzkoa it rose by 1.1 percentage points, standing at 46.1% occupancy per room.

The highest hotel bed occupancy rate in January this year was in Bilbao (41.4%), followed by San Sebastián (40.9%) and Gipuzkoa Costa (39.0%).

Taking into account the day of the week, at weekends there was a higher occupancy in the Basque Country as a whole in January 2019, with 44.7% of places occupied, whilst the registered occupancy stood at 34.5 % 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 66.2 euros in January 2019, 1.4% down on the year before. The average rate stood at 57.3 euros in Álava, down 5.2%; 67.6 euros in Bizkaia, with an increase of 1.5%, and 67.7 euros in Gipuzkoa, where it fell by 4.4%.

The revenue per available room (RevPAR) in the Basque Country overall, which is dependent on the occupancy rate of hotel establishments, stood at 31.5 euros in January 2019, a 1.3% increase on January 2018. The RevPAR stood at 26.7 euros in Álava, 31.8 euros in Bizkaia, and 31.9 euros in Gipuzkoa.

In rural accommodation, visitor numbers were down by 21.6% whereas overnight stays rose by 3.2% in January 2019

There were 3,814 visitors to rural accommodation in the Basque Country, 21.6% fewer than the same month of the previous year. By province, in Álava the number of visitors was down by 4.1%, in Bizkaia there was a drop of 11.4%, and in Gipuzkoa there was a decrease of 30.4%.

The 544 visitors originating from abroad signified a fall of 7.5% with regards to those received a year ago and represented 14.3% of the total number of visitors. For its part, the number of visitors from within Spain fell by 23.5%.

Rural tourism establishments and country cottages in the Basque Country recorded a total of 10,137 overnight stays in January, with an increase of 3.2% compared to the same month of the previous year. By province, in Álava they were down 1.8% and in Gipuzkoa they fell by 1.0%, however in Bizkaia they were up 17.4%.

The bed occupancy rate stood at 9.5% with a rise of 0.6 percentage points from the figures obtained in January 2018. In Álava it decreased by 0.1 percentage points, standing at 7.7%. In Bizkaia the occupancy rate was 8.2%, with an increase of 1.6 percentage points in relation to January 2018, and Gipuzkoa was up 0.3 percentage points to reach an occupancy rate of 11.2% in January this year.

Finally, the average length of stay increased this January, going from 2.02 days a year ago to 2.66 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