Press release 24/05/2019

SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS. APARTMENTS APRIL 2019

Overnight stays in tourist apartments in the Basque Country increased by 16.4% in April 2019

In hotels, rural accommodation and tourist apartments as a whole, there was an 8.6% increase in overnight stays in April

Overnight stays registered in tourist apartments of the Basque Country in April 2019 stood at 26,730, up 16.4% on those registered in April 2018, according to Eustat data. When analysing these figures, it should be taken into account that this year Easter fell in April, and last year it was in March. In March and April as a whole, overnight stays were up 3.0%.

Overnight stays rose by 26.4% in Bizkaia, 20.0% in Gipuzkoa and 0.2% in Álava.

There were 8,184 visitors registered in tourist apartments in the Basque Country in April 2019, which was a rise of 42.7%. Visitor numbers were up 61.6% in Bizkaia and 47.1% in Gipuzkoa, but there was a drop of 9.1% in Álava.

This April the average length of stay was 3.27 days, below the average length of stay of 4.00 days that was registered in April 2018. In Álava there was an increase from 6.15 days last year to 6.78 days in April of this year; in Bizkaia it was down from 3.23 days to 2.53 days; and in Gipuzkoa, the average length of stay fell from 3.81 days in April 2018 to 3.11 days in April 2019.

Tourist balance for April 2019: visitor numbers rose by 8.6% and overnight stays by 11.2%

In hotels, rural accommodation and apartments as a whole, there were 299,687 visitors in April 2019, which was an increase of 8.6% compared to the same month of the previous year. 46.1% of the total number of visitors to the Basque Country was concentrated in Bizkaia, and total visitor numbers rose by 10.8%. In Gipuzkoa, which accumulated 40.4% of visitors to the Basque Country, there was an increase of 8.1% and in Álava, with 13.5% of visitors, there was a rise of 3.1%.

Overnight stays in the total number of tourist establishments were up 11.2%. They increased by 12.4% in Gipuzkoa, 11.2% in Bizkaia and 7.6% in Álava.

Given the effect of Easter, which this year fell in April, whereas in 2018 it was in March, it is advisable to look again at the data for March and April as a whole. Visitors to hotels, rural accommodation and apartments as a whole rose by 6% and overnight stays by 5.2% compared to the same period of 2018.

For further information:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.es Tel: 945 01 75 62