Press Release 28/12/2022

TOURISM SATELLITE ACCOUNT. Preview. 2021

Tourism expenditure in the Basque Country recovered in 2021, exceeding 3,000 million euros

Tourist activity accounted for 4% of GDP; with Gipuzkoa being of particular note at 5.2%

In 2021, the second year marked by the health crisis caused by COVID-19, tourism expenditure in the Basque Country reached 3,143 million euros, 421 million more than in 2020, according to Eustat data. While this figure represents an increase of 15.5% compared to the previous year, 2019 figures have not yet been restored.

The Tourism Satellite Account is compiled using the methodology of the World Tourism Organization (WTO, EUROSTAT, OECD, 2010) and computes a number of tourism-related economic parameters, from the viewpoint of both supply and demand, integrating and linking these two perspectives with those used in the National Accounts to quantify the other economic activities.

The results for 2021 are part of a period of recovery of the different aggregates that comprise tourism expenditure. The two aggregates were positive, particularly Inbound tourism. This component of expenditure, which includes tourism expenditure in the Basque Country by people originating from abroad and the rest of Spain, recorded an increase of 26.5%, following the steep drop registered in 2020 (-60.3%). The item Other components of tourism expenditure, which includes tourism expenditure by Basque residents in the Basque Country itself, as well as expenditure by public administrations on tourism-related programmes and investment in the characteristic branches of tourism, posted a slower recovery (6.8%), although it should be pointed out that the drop registered in 2020 was also more moderate (-25.8%).

Outbound tourism recorded a stronger recovery than inbound tourism

Just like inbound tourism, outbound tourism was significantly affected by the 2020 health crisis. Both figures dropped to below half of the values registered the previous year. While both figures were positive in 2021, they did not follow the same growth rate; outbound tourism performed more dynamically as it recovered 1,225 million in 2021 following a 51.7% drop in 2020, which is equivalent to a growth rate of 53.4%. As for inbound tourism, which experienced a 60.4% decrease in 2020, this only recovered 318 million, with a variation of 26.5%. Based on these figures, the tourism balance went from -1,085 million in 2020 to -1,992 million in 2021.

Tourism expenditure increased in all three Basque Country provinces

Tourist activity recovered in all three provinces. The rise in tourism expenditure in 2021, compared to the previous year, was 17.7% in Álava, 17.5% in Gipuzkoa and 12.6% in Bizkaia.

Gipuzkoa stood out with the highest tourist spending in the Basque Country, accounting for 43.3%, slightly higher than that of Bizkaia (41.7%), while Álava represented the remaining 15.0%. According to this data, Gipuzkoa's contribution rose by 0.7 percentage points compared to the previous year, followed by Álava, with an increase of 0.3 percentage points. Bizkaia's contribution, by contrast, dropped by 1 percentage point.

As regards the relevance of tourism in each province in relation to GDP, an increase was observed in all three provinces compared to the previous year. Tourism made the largest contribution to provincial wealth in Gipuzkoa, up 5.2%, rising by 0.4 percentage points. Álava's contribution was 3.8%, an increase of 0.3 percentage points, while it rose by 0.1 percentage points in Bizkaia, accounting for 3.3% of its GDP.

Note: The data corresponding to 2020 has been revised and is now considered definitive.

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