Press release 20/10/2022
SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS. Hotels. September 2022
Visitor numbers and overnight stays at hotel establishments in the Basque Country rose by 22.6% and 23.5% in September 2022
In the summer months as a whole, they were well in excess of the 2021 figures and above those of 2019
In September 2022, visitor numbers at hotel establishments in the Basque Country rose by 22.6% and overnight stays were up 23.5% in year-on-year terms, according to Eustat data. The total number of visitors, which rose to 330,304, led to a total of 650,800 overnight stays.
Foreign visitors accounted for 49.6% of total visitor numbers and 50.1% of total overnight stays in September 2022. In September 2021, however, foreign visitors represented 37.0% of total visitor numbers and 35.8% of total overnight stays.
Visitors, overnight stays and average stay in hotel establishments in the Basque Country. September 2022
| | Visitors | Overnight stays | Average stay |
| | 09/2022 | m/m-12 (%) | 09/2022 | m/m-12 (%) | 09/2022 | 09/2021 |
| BASQUE COUNTRY | 330.304 | 22,6 | 650.800 | 23,5 | 1,97 | 1,96 |
| State origin | 166.591 | -1,8 | 324.517 | -4,1 | 1,95 | 1,99 |
| Foreign origin | 163.713 | 64,2 | 326.283 | 72,9 | 1,99 | 1,89 |
| | | | | | | |
| Araba/Álava | 43.146 | 25,4 | 78.191 | 14,7 | 1,81 | 1,98 |
| State origin | 27.372 | 7,9 | 51.159 | -0,1 | 1,87 | 2,02 |
| Foreign origin | 15.774 | 74,4 | 27.032 | 59,6 | 1,71 | 1,87 |
| Vitoria-Gasteiz | 30.161 | 24,9 | 57.651 | 13,1 | 1,91 | 2,11 |
| | | | | | | |
| Bizkaia | 151.994 | 25,6 | 296.148 | 28,5 | 1,95 | 1,90 |
| State origin | 77.122 | -1,7 | 148.145 | -2,1 | 1,92 | 1,93 |
| Foreign origin | 74.872 | 76,0 | 148.003 | 86,9 | 1,98 | 1,86 |
| Bilbao | 104.119 | 29,1 | 200.880 | 31,9 | 1,93 | 1,89 |
| | | | | | | |
| Gipuzkoa | 135.164 | 18,6 | 276.461 | 21,1 | 2,05 | 2,00 |
| State origin | 62.097 | -5,7 | 125.213 | -7,8 | 2,02 | 2,06 |
| Foreign origin | 73.067 | 51,9 | 151.248 | 63,4 | 2,07 | 1,92 |
| Donostia / San Sebastian | 81.948 | 19,2 | 179.221 | 25,4 | 2,19 | 2,08 |
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 October 20, 2022
Source: Eustat Tourist accommodating establishments survey
13.1% of visitors to hotel establishments in September 2022 were recorded in Álava, 46.0% in Bizkaia and 40.9% in Gipuzkoa. As regards overnight stays, in Álava there were 78,191, 12.0% of the total; in Bizkaia they rose to 296,148, representing 45.5% of the total; and in Gipuzkoa they reached 276,461, 42.5% of total overnight stays registered in the Basque Country as a whole.
The year-on-year increase in the number of visitors at hotel establishments during September 2022 reached 25.6% in Bizkaia, 25.4% in Álava and 18.6% in Gipuzkoa. In the case of overnight stays, the year-on-year variations were 28.5% in Bizkaia, 21.1% in Gipuzkoa and 14.7% in Álava.
By provincial capital, visitor numbers rose in year-on-year terms by 29.1% in Bilbao, 24.9% in Vitoria-Gasteiz and 19.2% in San Sebastián. Likewise, the increase in overnight stays reached 31.9% in Bilbao, 25.4% in San Sebastián and 13.1% in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
The average length of stay in September 2022 was 1.97 days in the Basque Country as a whole, very similar to that obtained in the same month of 2021, which was 1.96 days.
Bed occupancy rates and profitability in hotel establishments in the Basque Country. September 2022
| | Occupancy rates (%) | Profitability |
| | by seats | by rooms | ADR (euros) | RevPAR (euros) |
| | 09/2022 | p.p. * | 09/2022 | p.p. * | 09/2022 | m/m-12 (%) | 09/2022 | m/m-12 (%) |
| BASQUE COUNTRY | 64,1 | 9,4 | 76,7 | 11,6 | 116,59 | 22,0 | 89,40 | 43,7 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Araba/Álava | 56,0 | 5,8 | 70,8 | 6,9 | 90,41 | 11,1 | 64,01 | 23,1 |
| Vitoria-Gasteiz | 55,4 | 4,5 | 73,6 | 6,0 | 70,25 | 3,5 | 51,67 | 12,7 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Bizkaia | 62,0 | 10,7 | 75,3 | 14,2 | 101,18 | 27,3 | 76,23 | 56,9 |
| Bilbao | 67,6 | 13,0 | 81,4 | 18,1 | 115,58 | 32,6 | 94,08 | 70,6 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Gipuzkoa | 69,4 | 9,2 | 80,3 | 10,1 | 141,74 | 21,5 | 113,75 | 39,0 |
| Donostia / San Sebastian | 76,3 | 11,3 | 87,3 | 12,8 | 178,94 | 23,6 | 156,20 | 44,9 |
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 October 20, 2022
Source: Eustat Tourist accommodating establishments survey
Occupancy rates in September 2022 for the Basque Country as a whole reached 64.1% for bed occupancy rate and 76.7% for that of rooms. In relation to September 2021, increases stood at 9.4 and 11.6 percentage points, respectively.
Profitability, measured using the ADR or average daily rate, reached 116.59 euros in September 2022 in the Basque Country as a whole, which was a rise of 22.0% compared to September of the previous year. In the case of Gipuzkoa, the ADR reached 141.74 euros, in Bizkaia it was 101.18 euros and in Álava it stood at 90.41 euros. By provincial capital, the differences were greater, given that the ADR was 178.94 euros in San Sebastián, 115.58 euros in Bilbao and, lastly, 70.25 euros in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
The RevPar, or average revenue per available room, at the Basque Country level was 89.40 euros in September 2022, 43.7% higher than in the same month of the previous year.
Balance for summer 2022 (July, August and September)
The evolution of overnight stays at hotel establishments in the Basque Country during the summer months of 2022, reveals that the figures obtained during these same months in the years prior to COVID-19 have been recovered and surpassed.
The number of visitors to the Basque Country in these three months totalled 1,111,101 people, which led to 2,255,878 overnight stays. This volume of visitors and overnight stays exceeds the figures recorded in the summer of 2021 by 20.9% and 20.2%, respectively and are even higher than those observed in these same summer months in the years prior to COVID-19. Thus, in 2019 the number of visitors stood at 1,002,048 and the number of overnight stays at 2,100,567.
At the provincial level, compared to summer 2021, visitor numbers increased by 27.1% in Bizkaia, by 18.4% in Álava and by 15.2% in Gipuzkoa. As regards overnight stays, the increases stood at 24.4% in Bizkaia, 18.0% in Gipuzkoa and, finally, 13.7% in Álava. The numbers of both visitors and overnight stays exceeded the values obtained in 2019 in all three provinces, as well in their capitals.
As regards the origin of visitors and overnight stays in the three summer months considered, it was observed that in 2022 the percentage of foreign visitors with regard to the total number of visitors recovered the values of the years prior to COVID-19, which in 2019 stood at 49.8% in the case of visitors and at 48.0% in the case of overnight stays.
Informative note
The coverage of the ETR for Hotels in September was 88.6%. 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