Press release 27/04/2020
Visitor numbers to hotels, rural accommodation and tourist apartments in the Basque Country suffered a drastic fall of 71.7% in March 2020.
Places offered in tourist apartments in the Basque Country dropped by 37.3% in March 2020
In hotels, rural accommodation and tourist apartments as a whole, there were 72,432 visitors in March 2020, which was a decrease of 71.7% on the same month of the previous year, according to EUSTAT data. 46.0% of the total number of visitors to the Basque Country was concentrated in Bizkaia, and total visitor numbers dropped by 72.3%. In Gipuzkoa, which accumulated 41.6% of visitors to the Basque Country, there was a decrease of 70.5% and in Álava, with 12.4% of visitors, there was a fall of 72.9%.
Overnight stays in all establishments analysed suffered an almost similar collapse: Overnight stays were down 65.3% in March 2020 compared to March 2019 In Bizkaia overnight stays fell by 66%, in Álava there were down 64.5% and in Gipuzkoa by 64.8%.
EFFECTS OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS ON THE SUPPLY IN MARCH 2020
The crisis caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic has had a profound impact on the hotel management and catering sector dedicated to providing accommodation in the Basque Country. In hotels, rural accommodation and tourist apartments as a whole, the number of establishments that remained closed throughout the whole month of March 2020 was up 63.3%; it was more than twice this in the case of Bizkaia (130%), 65.4% in Álava and 29.7% in Gipuzkoa compared to March 2019.
In addition, the average number of days closed in those establishments that did open in March rose to 15.1 days, when in March 2019 this average was not even one day. There were hardly any differences between the provinces, varying between 14.6 days average closure in Gipuzkoa and 15.5 days in Álava. In Bizkaia it was 15.4 days. As a consequence of this closure, the offer of places in all hotel establishments analysed saw a drastic reduction of 45.2% in the Basque Country as a whole, with slight provincial differences: down 39.2% in Álava, 44.6% in Bizkaia and 48.5% in Gipuzkoa.
Even so, there was hardly any change in the number of hotels, rural accommodation and apartments that opened at some point during March 2020 (-0.1% in the Basque Country) or, as was the case in Gipuzkoa, there was a slight increase (up 1.2% in respect of the same month of the previous year).
Tourist apartments
The number of overnight stays registered in tourist apartments in the Basque Country in March 2020 stood at 11,446, which was a decrease of 44.5% on those registered in March of the previous year. The number of overnight stays was down 56.4% in Bizkaia, 46.5% in Álava and 24.5% in Gipuzkoa.
There were 2,110 visitors registered in tourist apartments in the Basque Country in March 2020, which was a drop of 65.3% compared to the same month of the previous year. Visitor numbers decreased by 50% in Álava, by 70.3% in Bizkaia and by 63.7% in Gipuzkoa.
This March the average length of stay was 5.42 days, above the average length of stay of 3.39 days that was registered in March 2019. In Álava there was an increase from 8.76 days last year to 9.37 days in March of this year; in Bizkaia it was up from 2.57 days to 3.77 days; and in Gipuzkoa, the average length of stay rose from 2.59 days in March 2019 to 5.38 days in March 2020.
EFFECTS OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS ON THE SUPPLY OF TOURIST APARTMENTS IN MARCH 2020
There was a 37.3% reduction in the number of places offered in tourist apartments in the Basque Country, limited to 51,438 places this March, compared to 82,049 places offered in March 2019. Proportionally Álava was the province that saw the greatest reduction (-42%), followed by Gipuzkoa (-38%), and Bizkaia (-32%).
This fall was caused by both the increase in the number of apartments that remained closed throughout March 2020, 103 apartments in 2020 by 40 apartments in 2019, and those that closed at some point during the month. While in March 2019 apartments closed for an average of 0.5 days, this year they closed for more than half the month, 15.1 days. In Álava the number of days was higher than the average, 16 days; in Gipuzkoa 15.4 days; and 14 days in Bizkaia.
Finally, the supply of apartments open at some point during the month increased from 717 apartments in March 2019 to 747 apartments in March 2020, that is, an increase of 4.2%.
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