Press release 22/08/2019

SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS. JULY 2019

Visitors to hotel establishments in the Basque Country increased by 1.7% and overnight stays by 4.9% in July 2019

Foreign tourists exceeded those from within Spain and the average daily rate (ADR) stood at 110.6 euros in July 2019, up 5.1% on the previous year

There were 328,082 visitors registered in the hotel establishments of the Basque Country in July 2019, 5,429 up on the same month of the previous year, which was an increase of 1.7% according to Eustat data. The number of visitors increased by 6.3% in Gipuzkoa and by 1.0% in Bizkaia, whereas there was a drop of 8.3% in Álava.

Furthermore, overnight stays registered in hotel establishments of the Basque Country in July 2019 reached 692,414, which was an increase of 4.9% on those registered in July of the previous year, that is to say, there were 32,306 more overnight stays. There was a positive year-on-year trend in overnight stays in the three provinces: in Gipuzkoa they increased by 8.0%, in Bizkaia they rose by 3.2% and in Álava they were up 0.8%.

The number of visitors from within Spain rose by 1.5 % in the Basque Country compared to July of the previous year, and the number of visitors from abroad increased by 1.9%, which meant foreign visitors (165,003 people) exceeded Spanish visitors (163,076). In the case of Álava, the number of Spanish visitors saw a 5.1% downturn and there was a 12.8% decrease in the case of foreign visitors. In Bizkaia, the number of visitors from within Spain fell by 0.9%, while the number of visitors from abroad rose by 3.0%. In Gipuzkoa there was an increase in Spanish visitor numbers of 8.2%, whereas the number of foreign visitors rose by 4.9%.

This July the average length of stay was 2.11 days, above the average length of stay of 2.05 days registered in July 2018. In Álava the average length of stay stood at 1.96 days, longer than the average length of stay of 1.78 days in July 2018; in Bizkaia there was a slight increase from 1.97 in July 2018 to 2.01 days this July, and in Gipuzkoa the average length of stay was up from 2.24 days in July 2018 to 2.28 this July.

There was an increase of 0.9 percentage points in the bed occupancy rate for the Basque Country overall, where it went from 70.2% in July 2018 to 71.1% in July this year. In Álava the bed occupancy rate fell by 0.2 percentage points, standing at 60.8% in July of this year. The bed occupancy rate for Bizkaia stayed the same as in July 2018, at 68.4%. In Gipuzkoa the bed occupancy rate improved by 2.1 percentage points, standing at 78.0% in July 2019.

The occupancy rate per room also registered an increase, with a 2.1 percentage point rise for the Basque Country overall, reaching 80.3%. In Álava it was up by 1.4 percentage points, standing at 71.7%, and in Bizkaia it increased by 1.8 percentage points, reaching 78.9%. Meanwhile, in Gipuzkoa there was a rise of 2.5 percentage points, registering 85.1% occupancy per room.

The highest hotel bed occupancy rate in July this year was in Donostia-San Sebastián (85.2%), followed by Gipuzkoa Costa (82.2%) and Bilbao (71.8%). Taking into account the day of the week, at weekends there was a higher occupancy in the Basque Country as a whole in July 2019, with 78.3% of beds occupied, whilst the registered occupancy stood at 68.6% 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 110.6 euros in July 2019, 5.1% up on the year before. The average rate stood at 79.3 euros in Álava, where it rose by 2.2%; 90.5 euros in Bizkaia, with an increase of 3.2%, and 142.6 euros in Gipuzkoa, where it was up 6.5%.

The revenue per available room (RevPAR) in the Basque Country overall, which is dependent on the occupancy rate of hotel establishments, stood at 88.9 euros in July 2019, a 7.9% increase on July 2018. The RevPAR stood at 56.8 euros in Álava, 71.4 euros in Bizkaia, and 121.4 euros in Gipuzkoa.

The occupancy rate per room during the Getxo International Jazz Festival stood at 73.7% in the hotel establishments of Bizkaia

Visitor numbers during the 2019 Getxo International Jazz Festival increased to 23,514 in the hotel establishments of Bizkaia, 7.3% down on the 2018 edition. These were visits that occurred from 3 to 7 July 2019 (5 nights). In this same period there were 45,439 overnight stays (-5.2%), with a room occupancy rate of 73.7%, 2.5 percentage points down on the occupancy rate registered between 4 and 8 July 2018, the dates of the previous year’s festival.

The occupancy rate per room during the BBK Live Festival stood at 89.1% in Bilbao

Visitor numbers during the 2019 BBK Live Festival increased to 16,140 in the hotel establishments of Bizkaia. These were visits that occurred from 11 to 13 July 2019 (3 nights). Over the same period there were 33,639 overnight stays in Bizkaia as a whole. In Bilbao there were 9,778 visitors, 923 more visitors than the period between 12 and 14 July 2018, the dates of the 2018 festival. The number of overnight stays, for its part, stood at 20,584, up 2.7%; with a room occupancy rate of 89.1% compared to the 90.5% of 2018, a drop of 1.4 points.

The occupancy rate per room during the Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival stood at 82.1%

Visitor numbers during the Jazz Festival, between 16 and 20 July, rose to 7,456 in hotel establishments in Álava. In this same period, the total number of overnight stays in Álava was 14,379, with an occupancy rate per room of 74.9%. There were 5,053 visitors to Vitoria-Gasteiz, 4.2% down on 2018, and 10,284 overnight stays, a decrease of 5.6%; and an occupancy rate of 82.1% was registered for the five nights in question, 5.2 percentage points down on the occupancy rate during the 2018 festival, which took place between 17 and 21 July.

The occupancy rate per room during the Donostia-San Sebastián Jazz Festival stood at 93.3% in the city

During the celebration of the Donostia-San Sebastián Jazz Festival, between 24 and 28 July (5 nights), visitor numbers stood at 21,700 in hotel establishments in Gipuzkoa. In this same period, the number of overnight stays in Gipuzkoa was 49,717, with an occupancy rate per room of 86.2%. There were 11,832 visitors to Donostia-San Sebastián, 3.6% down on the period between 25 and 29 July, the dates of the 2018 festival, and 29,171 overnight stays, which represented, however, a 9.2% increase. In addition, a room occupancy rate of 93.3% was recorded, 1.0 percentage points higher than the figure for the previous year (92.3%).

In rural accommodation, visitor numbers decreased by 5.0% and overnight stays fell by 6.6% in July 2019

There were 21,471 visitors to rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country in July, 5.0% down on the same month of the previous year. By province, the number of visitors was up 17.9% in Álava, in Bizkaia there was a drop of 2.6%, and in Gipuzkoa there was a decrease of 11.4%. The 5,656 visitors originating from abroad signified a decrease of 3.7% with regards to those received a year ago and represented 26.3% of the total number of visitors. For its part, the number of visitors from within Spain fell by 5.4%.

Rural tourism establishments and country cottages in the Basque Country recorded a total of 64,462 overnight stays in July, experiencing a decrease of 6.6% with respect to the same month of the previous year. By province, in Álava they were up by 16.9%, but they fell 8.2% in Bizkaia and 9.9% in Gipuzkoa.

The bed occupancy rate stood at 46.4% with a decrease of 2.2 percentage points on the figures obtained in July 2018. Álava experienced a rise of 2.4 percentage points, with the bed occupancy rate standing at 26.2%. In Bizkaia the occupancy rate was 47.8%, which meant a decrease of 2.0 percentage points in relation to July 2018, and Gipuzkoa also saw a fall of 3.4 percentage points to an occupancy rate this July of 55.3%.

Finally, the average length of stay per visitor decreased this July with respect to July 2018, going from 3.05 days a year ago to 3.00 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.es Tel: 945 01 75 62