Press Release 20/05/2022

SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS. Hotels. April 2022

In April 2022, the number of visitors and overnight stays at hotel establishments in the Basque Country tripled compared to 2021

The number of visitors and overnight stays recorded during Easter 2022 exceeded those observed during Easter 2019, prior to COVID-19

In April 2022, visitor numbers at hotel establishments in the Basque Country increased by 207.4% and overnight stays were up 206.1% in year-on-year terms, according to Eustat data.

The total number of visitors, which rose to 288,487, led to a total of 534,916 overnight stays. In April 2021, the number of visitors and overnight stays stood at 93,844 and 174,769, respectively. It should be remembered that various travel restrictions were in force in April 2021, including the closure of the perimeters of the autonomous regions during Easter.

In April 2022, visitors from abroad accounted for 38.8% of the total number of visitors and 39.8% of overnight stays. A year ago, however, visitors from abroad represented 14.1% of the total number of visitors and 15.6% of overnight stays.

12.7% of visitors registered at hotel establishments in April 2022 were recorded in Álava, 45.5% in Bizkaia and 41.8% in Gipuzkoa. As regards overnight stays, in Álava there were 67,950, 12.7% of the total; in Bizkaia they rose to 242,822, representing 45.4% of the total; and in Gipuzkoa overnight stays reached 224,144, 41.9% of total overnight stays registered in the Basque Country as a whole.

The rises in visitor numbers and overnight stays were noteworthy in all three provinces. In terms of the number of visitors, Bizkaia stood out with an increase of 228.0%, followed by Gipuzkoa with 215.9% and Álava with 134.2%. In the case of overnight stays, the year-on-year variations were 229.2% in Gipuzkoa, 226.9% in Bizkaia and 109.7% in Álava.

The increase in the number of visitors and overnight stays was also significant in the three provincial capitals. As regards visitor numbers, the rise stood at 125.3% in the case of Vitoria-Gasteiz, 284.9% in Bilbao and 257.7% in San Sebastián. Likewise, overnight stays were up 107.0% in Vitoria-Gasteiz, 319.4% in Bilbao and 297.2% in San Sebastián.

The average length of stay in April 2022 was 1.85 days in the Basque Country as a whole, similar to that obtained in the same month of 2021, which was 1.86 days.

Occupancy rates in April 2022 for the Basque Country as a whole reached 53.5% in the case of beds and 62.1% in that of rooms. Compared to April 2021, the increases stood at 29.9 and 31.4 percentage points, respectively.

Profitability, measured using the ADR or average daily rate, in the Basque Country as a whole reached 88.93 euros in April 2022. At a provincial level the values were similar: in Álava it stood at 81.44 euros, in Bizkaia at 86.73 euros and in Gipuzkoa at 93.80 euros. By provincial capitals, the differences were greater, given that the ADR was 112.48 euros in San Sebastián, 94.01 euros in Bilbao and 67.85 euros in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The RevPar, or average revenue per available room, at the Basque Country level was 55.26 euros in April 2022, far exceeding the 20.39 euros obtained in April 2021.

Balance for Easter 2022

The 51,974 visitors registered at hotel establishments in the Basque Country this Easter accounted for an increase of 87.4% compared to the previous year. With a rise of 126.0%, overnight stays totalled 107,475 this Easter. Pre-pandemic levels were therefore exceeded in terms of visitor numbers and overnight stays, as there were 46,969 visitors and 101,980 overnight stays during Easter 2019.

In year-on-year terms, bed and room occupancy rates for the Basque Country as a whole stood at 78.9% and 81.9%, respectively. These percentages represented growth of 32.8 percentage points in the case of beds and 33.1 points in that of rooms. In both the provinces and their capitals, the values of these variables were in line with those of the Basque Country as a whole.

Foreign tourists accounted for 31.5% of total visitors and 29.1% of overnight stays, increasing their numbers by 580.1% and 619.4%, respectively, compared to Easter 2021, which was marked by the pandemic. Domestic tourism also recorded higher figures than the previous year, with a rise of 40.5% in visitor numbers and 76.3% in overnight stays.

By province, the positive performance in relation to the previous Easter was seen to varying degrees: in Álava visitors numbers increased by 33.7%, in Gipuzkoa they grew by 72.6% and in Bizkaia they were up 130.1%. Likewise, overnight stays experienced the following positive variations: 34.7% in Álava, 113.1% in Gipuzkoa and 196.3% in Bizkaia.

The same trend, but with even sharper rises, was observed in the three provincial capitals, especially in Bilbao, where there was an increase of 141.4% in the number of visitors and 226.6% in overnight stays. In San Sebastián, 85.9% more visitors and 128.8% more overnight stays were recorded. Lastly, in Vitoria-Gasteiz, visitor numbers rose by 42.7% and overnight stays were up 44.7%.

Informative note

The coverage of the ETR for Hotels in April was 93.6%. Eustat would like to thank all establishments that participated in this survey for their effort.

Data browser for tourism in the Basque Country.Hotel establishments.

For further information:

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