Press release 21/02/2020

SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS. HOTELS AND RURAL ACCOMMODATION. JANUARY 2020

Visitors to hotel establishments in the Basque Country rose by 7.2% in January 2020

Visitor numbers increased at similar rates in the three provinces

There were 173,318 visitors registered in the hotel establishments of the Basque Country in January 2020, 11,656 up on the same month of the previous year, which is an increase of 7.2%, according to Eustat data. By province, visitor numbers increased by 7.5% in Álava, 7.7% in Bizkaia and 6.6% in Gipuzkoa.

Furthermore, overnight stays registered in hotel establishments of the Basque Country in January 2020 reached 320,535, which was an increase of 4.5% on those registered in January of the previous year, that is, there were 13,717 more overnight stays. There was a year-on-year positive trend in overnight stays in the three provinces: they increased by 8.8% in Álava, 2.2% in Bizkaia and were up 5.9% in Gipuzkoa.

The number of visitors from within Spain to the Basque Country registered a positive variation of 3.3% in January 2020 compared to January of the previous year. In turn, the number of visitors from abroad increased by 15.9%. In the case of Álava, visitor numbers saw an upturn in both cases, of 7.9% for Spanish visitors and 5.7% in the case of foreign visitors. In Bizkaia the number of Spanish visitors was up 2.1% and the number of visitors from abroad rose by 20.8%. In Gipuzkoa the number of Spanish visitors increased by 2.9% and those from abroad by 12.9%.

This January the average length of stay was 1.85 days, below the average length of stay of 1.90 days registered in January 2019. In Álava there was an increase from 1.88 days last year to 1.91 days in January of this year; in Bizkaia there was a drop from 1.94 days to 1.84 days; and finally in Gipuzkoa, the average length of stay went from 1.85 days in January 2019 to 1.84 days this January.

There was an increase of 1.3 percentage points in the bed occupancy rate for the Basque Country overall, where it went from 37.1% in January 2019 to 38.5% in January this year. Álava experienced an increase of 3.8 percentage points, up from 34.8% to 38.6%. Bizkaia registered a fall of 1.3 percentage points, dropping from an occupancy rate of 37.8% in January 2019 to a rate of 36.5% this January. In Gipuzkoa the occupancy rate increased by 4.0 percentage points, rising from 37.1% in January 2019 to 41.1% this January.

The occupancy rate per room also registered an increase, with a 1.1 percentage point rise for the Basque Country overall, reaching 48.7%. In Álava it was up 5.3 percentage points, standing at 51%, and in Bizkaia it was down 2.1 percentage points, reaching 47%. Meanwhile, in Gipuzkoa there was an increase of 4.0 percentage points, registering 50.1% occupancy per room.

The highest hotel bed occupancy rate in January this year was in Donostia/San Sebastián (47.1%), followed by Rioja Alavesa (45.1%) and Gipuzkoa Costa (41.3%)

Taking into account the day of the week, at weekends there was a higher occupancy in the Basque Country as a whole in January 2020, with 45.3% of beds occupied, whilst the registered occupancy stood at 35.6% 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 68.5 euros in January 2020, 3.5% up on the year before. The average rate stood at 56.5 euros in Álava, down 1.3%; 70 euros in Bizkaia, with an increase of 3.6%, and 71.3 euros in Gipuzkoa, up 5.3%.

The revenue per available room (RevPAR) in the Basque Country overall, which is dependent on the occupancy rate of hotel establishments, stood at 33.3 euros in January 2020, a 6% increase on January 2019. The RevPAR stood at 26.2 euros in Álava, 33.2 euros in Bizkaia, and 31.2 euros in Gipuzkoa.

In rural accommodation, visitor numbers increased by 26.1% and overnight stays rose by 45.5% in January 2020

This January there were 4,808 visitors to rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country, 26.1% more than in the same month of the previous year. By province, in Álava they were up 17% while in Bizkaia they increased by 12.4%. In Gipuzkoa there was a rise of 35.9%. The 537 visitors originating from abroad signified a fall of 1.3% with regards to those received a year ago and represented 11.2% of the total number of visitors. For its part, the number of visitors from within Spain rose by 30.6%.

Rural tourism establishments and country cottages in the Basque Country recorded a total of 14,749 overnight stays in January 2019, which was a drop of 45.5% compared to the same month of the previous year. By province, in Álava they were up 17.4%, in Bizkaia 10.4% and in Gipuzkoa 72.3%.

The bed occupancy rate stood at 14.2% with an increase of 4.7 percentage points on the figures obtained in January 2019. Álava also recorded an increase of 1.2 percentage points, with a bed occupancy rate of 8.9%. In Bizkaia, the occupancy rate stood at 10.3%, resulting in an increase of 2.1 percentage points in relation to January 2019, and in Gipuzkoa the rate was up 8.0 percentage points, reaching an occupancy rate of 19.2% this January.

Lastly, the average length of stay per visitor was up from 2.66 days in January 2019 to 3.07 days in January 2020.

Para más información:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Instituto Vasco de Estadística C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Servicio de Prensa: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tlf: 945 01 75 62