Press release 21/09/2022
SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS. Hotels. August 2022
The number of visitors and overnight stays in August 2022 surpassed those observed in August 2021 by 11.2% and 7.5%, respectively
During the summer months of July and August as a whole, 780,797 visitors and 1,605,078 overnight stays were recorded, far exceeding the figures for 2019
In August 2022, visitor numbers at hotel establishments in the Basque Country rose by 11.2% and overnight stays by 7.5% in year-on-year terms, according to Eustat data. The total number of visitors, which rose to 397,611, led to a total of 839,058 overnight stays. In August 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, these figures were lower: 357,035 visitors and 780,269 overnight stays.
People from abroad accounted for 49.0% of total visitors and 45.1% of overnight stays in August 2022. These figures are significantly higher than the 31.2% and 27.0% that they represented in August 2021 and, to a lesser extent, also higher than the figures observed in August 2019, when 47.9% of visitors and 43.5% of overnight stays corresponded to people from abroad.
Visitors, overnight stays and average stay in hotel establishments in the Basque Country. August 2022
| | Visitors | Overnight stays | Average stay |
| | 08/2022 | m/m-12 (%) | 08/2022 | m/m-12 (%) | 08/2022 | 08/2021 |
| BASQUE COUNTRY | 397.611 | 11,2 | 839.058 | 7,5 | 2,11 | 2,18 |
| State origin | 202.814 | -17,6 | 460.829 | -19,1 | 2,27 | 2,32 |
| Foreign origin | 194.797 | 74,5 | 378.229 | 79,3 | 1,94 | 1,89 |
| | | | | | | |
| Araba/Álava | 55.933 | 13,0 | 105.370 | 7,4 | 1,88 | 1,98 |
| State origin | 33.456 | -13,0 | 71.872 | -11,7 | 2,15 | 2,12 |
| Foreign origin | 22.477 | 103,4 | 33.498 | 99,8 | 1,49 | 1,52 |
| Vitoria-Gasteiz | 40.549 | 14,9 | 77.030 | 9,3 | 1,90 | 2,00 |
| | | | | | | |
| Bizkaia | 187.660 | 17,3 | 387.828 | 9,8 | 2,07 | 2,21 |
| State origin | 97.699 | -12,9 | 215.715 | -17,8 | 2,21 | 2,34 |
| Foreign origin | 89.961 | 88,3 | 172.113 | 89,7 | 1,91 | 1,90 |
| Bilbao | 124.334 | 18,4 | 252.910 | 11,6 | 2,03 | 2,16 |
| | | | | | | |
| Gipuzkoa | 154.018 | 3,9 | 345.860 | 5,0 | 2,25 | 2,22 |
| State origin | 71.659 | -24,9 | 173.242 | -23,4 | 2,42 | 2,37 |
| Foreign origin | 82.359 | 56,1 | 172.618 | 66,8 | 2,10 | 1,96 |
| Donostia / San Sebastian | 91.146 | 3,6 | 211.737 | 5,3 | 2,32 | 2,29 |
m/m12 Rate of year-on-year change in the last observed month (m) compared to the same month of the previous year (m-12)
Date September 21, 2022
Source: Eustat Tourist accommodating establishments survey
14.1% of visitors registered at hotel establishments in August 2022 were recorded in Álava, 47.2% in Bizkaia and 38.7% in Gipuzkoa. As regards overnight stays, in Álava there were 105,370, 12.6% of the total; in Bizkaia they rose to 387,828, representing 46.2% of the total; and in Gipuzkoa they reached 345,860, 41.2% of total overnight stays registered in the Basque Country as a whole.
The increases in visitor numbers and overnight stays in relation to the same month of the previous year varied by province. In terms of the number of visitors, Bizkaia reached a year-on-year increase of 17.3%, Álava of 13.0% and Gipuzkoa of 3.9%. In the case of overnight stays, the year-on-year variations were 9.8% in Bizkaia, 7.4% in Álava and 5.0% in Gipuzkoa.
By provincial capital, visitor numbers rose in year-on-year terms by 18.4% in Bilbao, 14.9% in Vitoria-Gasteiz and 3.6% in San Sebastián. Likewise, the increase in overnight stays stood at 11.6% in Bilbao, 9.3% in Vitoria-Gasteiz and 5.3% in San Sebastián.
Bed occupancy rates and profitability in hotel establishments in the Basque Country. August 2022
| | Occupancy rates (%) | Profitability |
| | by seats | by rooms | ADR (euros) | RevPAR (euros) |
| | 08/2022 | p.p. * | 08/2022 | p.p. * | 08/2022 | m/m-12 (%) | 08/2022 | m/m-12 (%) |
| BASQUE COUNTRY | 78,4 | 1,3 | 85,3 | 2,7 | 124,70 | 15,4 | 106,35 | 19,3 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Araba/Álava | 70,1 | 2,2 | 81,8 | 2,5 | 90,78 | 6,1 | 74,23 | 9,4 |
| Vitoria-Gasteiz | 68,5 | 2,4 | 83,7 | 3,6 | 79,44 | 9,1 | 66,51 | 14,0 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Bizkaia | 77,2 | 2,1 | 83,5 | 3,5 | 106,39 | 24,3 | 88,87 | 29,8 |
| Bilbao | 81,1 | 3,7 | 85,7 | 5,9 | 118,07 | 32,4 | 101,15 | 42,3 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Gipuzkoa | 82,6 | 0,2 | 88,6 | 2,0 | 156,18 | 12,1 | 138,37 | 14,7 |
| Donostia / San Sebastian | 85,6 | -1,4 | 89,8 | 0,3 | 197,23 | 16,9 | 177,05 | 17,2 |
p.p.*= difference in percentage points on the same month of the previous year
m/m12 Rate of year-on-year change in the last observed month (m) compared to the same month of the previous year (m-12)
Date September 21, 2022
Source: Eustat Tourist accommodating establishments survey
The average length of stay in August 2022 was 2.11 days in the Basque Country as a whole, below that obtained in the same month of 2021, which was 2.18 days.
Occupancy rates in August 2022 for the Basque Country as a whole reached 78.4% in the case of beds and 85.3% in that of rooms. In relation to August 2021, the increases stood at 1.3 and 2.7 percentage points, respectively. The values recorded for the occupancy rates in August 2019, which were 79.6% in terms of beds and 84.9% in terms of rooms, were practically recovered.
Profitability, measured using the ADR or average daily rate, reached 124.70 euros in August 2022 in the Basque Country as a whole, which was a rise of 15.42% compared to August of the previous year. In the case of Gipuzkoa, the ADR reached 156.18 euros, in Bizkaia it was 106.39 euros and in Álava it stood at 90.78 euros. By provincial capital, the differences were greater, given that the ADR was 197.23 euros in San Sebastián, 118.07 euros in Bilbao and, lastly, 79.44 euros in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
The RevPar, or average revenue per available room, at the Basque Country level was 106.35 euros in August 2022, 19.3% higher than in the same month of the previous year.
Balance for July and August: 2018 to 2022
The trend in overnight stays at hotel establishments in the Basque Country during July and August 2022 reveals that the figures for the same months in the years prior to COVID-19 were recovered.
The number of visitors to the Basque Country in these two months totalled 780,797 people, which led to 1,605,078 overnight stays. This volume of visitors and overnight stays comfortably exceeded the figures recorded in July and August 2019, when there were 685,117 visitors and 1,472,683 overnight stays, and far exceeded those for 2021, during a summer still affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (649,848 visitors and 1,349,177 overnight stays).
The occupancy rates at hotel establishments in the Basque Country during this two-month summer period also reflect the recovery in hotel activity, with the bed occupancy rate standing at 75.2% and that of rooms at 83.0%. At provincial level, the room occupancy rate rose to 87.8% in Gipuzkoa during July and August. Álava also saw an increase compared to previous years, reaching 78.6% in 2022. In Bizkaia, the room occupancy rate was 80.3%, slightly lower than that registered in the same months of 2019.
Note
The coverage of the ETR for Hotels in August was 86.4%. 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