Press release 26/11/2020

SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS. TOURIST APARTMENTS AND OTHER TOURIST ACCOMMODATION. OCTOBER 2020

23.2% of the total number of tourist establishments in the Basque Country were closed in October 2020, up 8 points on September

Visitor numbers and overnight stays fell by more than 60% in tourist establishments as a whole, somewhat less in the case of tourist apartments in both visitor numbers (-51.4%) and, above all, in overnight stays (-29.0%)

During October 2020, 23.2% of tourist establishments remained closed for the entire month, according to Eustat data. In addition, visitor numbers and overnight stays dropped by 62.7% and 61.7%, respectively, in relation to the same period of the previous year.

By province, the greatest year-on-year decrease was posted in Bizkaia, where, in comparison with October 2019, visitor numbers were down 68.2% and overnight stays fell by 64.6%. Gipuzkoa registered a 59.1% drop in visitor numbers and a decrease of 62.1% in overnight stays. Álava was the province that posted the lowest decreases in the year-on-year comparison, visitor numbers falling by 54.3% and overnight stays dropping by 49.7%.

By province, there was a generalised increase in the number of completely closed establishments

The percentage of establishments closed throughout October (23.2%) was far above that seen in October 2019 (8.4%) and was also greater than that of the preceding month, September 2020, in which 15.1% of establishments remained completely closed. The increase in the number of establishments with no activity whatsoever for the entire month was generalised by province: in Gipuzkoa it went from 13.5% without activity in September to 21.6% in October; in Bizkaia it went from 16% in September to 24.1% to 24.1% in October; and finally, in Álava it went from 17.7% of establishments with no activity whatsoever throughout September to 25.9% in October.

Focusing on the establishments with activity in October, it is worth highlighting that the bed occupancy rate dropped from the 53.3% seen in October 2019 to 23.3% in October 2020, down 30 percentage points. As regards the average length of day, we see that it rose slightly in respect of October of the previous year, going from 1.98 days to the current 2.04 days.

Visitor numbers decreased by 51.4% and the number of overnight stays in tourist apartments fell by 29.0% in the Basque Country

As regards tourist apartments during October 2020, visitor numbers and overnight stays totalled 3,910 and 18,779, respectively. These figures represent a reduction of 51.4% for visitor numbers and 29.0% for overnight stays, compared to October 2019. The decrease was particularly marked as regards people from abroad, with 77.1% fewer foreign visitors in October 2020 than in October of the previous year and 45.5% fewer overnight stays.

By province the trend was not uniform. In Álava visitor numbers fell by 22.7% and overnight stays were down 11.3% in relation to October 2019; in Bizkaia the year-on-year decrease was 50.6% in visitor numbers and 27.3% in overnight stays; and, finally, in Gipuzkoa, visitor numbers fell by 60.8% and overnights stays by 43.8%.

The average length of stay in tourist apartments in the Basque Country rose to 4.80 days in October 2020, exceeding the average of 3.29 days in October 2019. By province, Álava stood out with the highest average length of stay, reaching 8.70 days in October 2020 (it was 7.59 days in October 2019). It was followed by Gipuzkoa, with an average length of stay of 4.34 days (3.02 days in the same month of the previous year) and, finally, Bizkaia, where the average length of stay was 3.75 days in October 2020, slightly above the 2.55 days observed in October 2019.

Note: Eustat would like to thank all the establishments that have collaborated with this survey for making this effort despite the extraordinary current circumstances. As a result, it has been possible to disseminate this information, enabling the effects on this sector of the measures adopted in order to combat COVID-19 to be quantified.

For further information:

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