Press release 21/05/2020
Activity in hotel establishments in the Basque Country during April 2020 was practically zero
There were a total of 13,027 overnight stays compared to the 538,485 observed in April 2019
Order SND/257/2020, of 19 March, declaring the suspension of the opening of tourist accommodation establishments to the public remained in force for the entire month of April. The activity of the sector was basically restricted to the establishments defined as essential services established in Order TMA/277/2020, of 23 March and amended by Order TMA/305/2020, of 30 March.
The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the hotel sector has therefore been enormous. Only 56 establishments maintained some form of hotel activity in the whole of the Basque Country. On the basis of the social use of this information, EUSTAT considers it particularly necessary at this time to make the information relating to hotel activity in April 2020 available to institutions and bodies, researchers and society in general. However, it should be pointed out that this information is provisional given the exceptional circumstances in which it has been obtained and processed. For this reason, dissemination in April will be limited, for the time being, to this press release. The remaining products in this operation will be disseminated when they acquire the status of definitive.
The number of hotel establishments that remained closed during the entire month of April rose to 563, compared to the 35 that, for various reasons, were closed the same month of the previous year. By province, the closure of establishments was generalised, with only 6 establishments open in Álava, 29 in Bizkaia and 21 in Gipuzkoa having some form of activity in April.
Under no circumstances has the activity of medicalised establishments been considered. We have only counted establishments that remained partially or fully open for at least one day in the month for accommodating different types of essential personnel, defined in the Official State Gazette of 30 March 2020, taking in those persons who due to force majeure or situation of need required exceptional or urgent accommodation or for housing guests who, at the time the state of alarm was declared, were long-term or seasonal residents.
Any comparison made with data registered in April 2019, wen 276,415 visitors and 538,485 overnight stays were recorded, shows the enormous effect of the COVID-19 crisis on the hotel sector in the Basque Country. The 56 establishments that opened received only 1,467 visitors who stayed for a total of 13,027 nights, which established an average length of stay of 8.88 days.
At a provincial level, Álava posted 627 visitors and 4,125 overnight stays, which gave an average length of stay of 6.58 days. This average length of stay: is similar to that seen in Gipukoa, 6.84 days. This province had 681 visitors who registered 4,657 overnight stays. In the case of Bizkaia there were just 159 visitors and 4,245, resulting in an average length of stay of 26.7 days.
Of the total number of visitors registered, 220 corresponded to people from abroad, whereas the rest, 1,247, were from within Spain.
The impact on rural accommodation was similar to that observed in hotels. Thus, only 31 establishments registered some form of activity at some point in April, compared to the 373 that were open in April 2019. Conversely, a total of 396 establishments remained closed throughout the period (347 more than the previous year).
The number of visitors registered in rural establishments stood at 230 with an average length of stay of 7.76 days, which implies 1,784 overnight stays. In the same month of the previous year there were a total of 15,088 visitors and 32,927 overnight stays.
By province, Álava recorded 16 visitors and 53 overnight stays, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa 46 visitors and 548 overnight stays and Gipuzkoa 168 visitors and 1,183 overnight stays. By province, differences were observed in the average lengths of stay, given that in Álava it was 3.31 days, in Bizkaia, 11.91; and in Gipuzkoa, 7.04 days. In the Basque Country as a whole, the average length of stay went from 2.51 days in April 2019 to 7.76 days this April.
NOTE REGARDING THE EFFECT OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS ON THE SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS
Royal Decree 463/2020, of 14 March, declared a state of alarm in order to manage the health crisis caused by COVID-19.
The exceptional measures adopted subsequently have brought the usual activity of tourist establishments to a standstill during the whole of April. Therefore the impact on the April Survey on Tourist Establishments was absolute.
Due to this situation, obtaining the necessary information for compiling the Survey on Tourist Establishments required a greater degree of effort, by both the personnel dedicated to collecting and processing the information and, above all, the establishments surveyed.
Eustat would like to thank all the establishments that have collaborated in making this effort despite the extraordinary circumstances. As a result, it has been possible to disseminate this information, enabling the effects of the measures adopted on this sector to be quantified.
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