Press Release 22/02/2023
SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS. Except hotels. January 2023
Visitor numbers rose by 40.1% in rural accommodation and by 50.4% in tourist apartments in the Basque Country in January 2023
The year-on-year increase in the total number of overnight stays by people from abroad reached 16.9% for rural accommodation and 23.2% for tourist apartments
In rural accommodation in the Basque Country in January 2023, visitor numbers rose by 40.1% compared to the same month of the previous year, according to Eustat data.
With this year-on-year growth, the total number of visitors stood at 3,702. The number of overnight stays increased in year-on-year terms by 46.8% in January 2023, reaching a total of 9,899 overnight stays.
Visitors, overnight stays, average length of stay and bed occupancy rates in rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country. January 2023
| | Visitors | Overnight stays | Average stay | Occupancy rates (%) |
| | | by seats | by rooms |
| | 01/2023 | m/m-12 (%) | 01/2023 | m/m-12 (%) | 01/2023 | 01/2022 | 01/2023 | p.p. * | 01/2023 | p.p. * |
| BASQUE COUNTRY | 3.702 | 40,1 | 9.899 | 46,8 | 2,67 | 2,55 | 9,2 | 3,3 | 11,8 | 3,4 |
| State origin | 3.409 | 42,8 | 8.984 | 50,7 | 2,64 | 2,50 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 293 | 14,5 | 915 | 16,9 | 3,12 | 3,06 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Araba/Álava | 739 | 52,4 | 2.003 | 53,6 | 2,71 | 2,69 | 7,5 | 2,5 | 9,7 | 3,2 |
| State origin | 699 | 57,4 | 1.944 | 63,2 | 2,78 | 2,68 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 40 | -2,4 | 59 | -47,8 | 1,48 | 2,76 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bizkaia | 1.000 | 84,5 | 3.026 | 108,0 | 3,03 | 2,68 | 9,8 | 5,3 | 13,7 | 6,6 |
| State origin | 938 | 81,8 | 2.802 | 97,6 | 2,99 | 2,75 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 62 | 138,5 | 224 | 505,4 | 3,61 | 1,42 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Gipuzkoa | 1.963 | 21,5 | 4.870 | 22,2 | 2,48 | 2,47 | 9,7 | 2,6 | 11,7 | 1,7 |
| State origin | 1.772 | 24,2 | 4.238 | 26,5 | 2,39 | 2,35 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 191 | 1,1 | 632 | -0,2 | 3,31 | 3,35 | - | - | - | - |
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 Februay 22, 2023
Source: Eustat Tourist accommodating establishments survey
After rising by 14.5% in relation to the previous January, visitors from abroad accounted for 7.9% of the total number of visitors recorded in January 2023. Overnight stays by foreign visitors rose by 16.9% compared to January 2022 and accounted for 9.2% of the total in January.
By province, the year-on-year increases in visitor numbers in January 2023 reached 84.5% in Bizkaia, 52.4% in Álava and 21.5% in Gipuzkoa. Overnight stays in Bizkaia, following year-on-year growth of 108.0%, stood at 3,026. In Álava, following an increase of 53.6% compared to the same month of the previous year, the number of overnight stays reached 2,003. Finally, there was a total of 4,870 overnight stays in rural accommodation in Gipuzkoa, up 22.2% on those registered a year ago.
The average length of stay in this type of establishment in the Basque Country was 2.67 days in January, a figure higher than the 2.55 days of average length of stay observed in the same month of 2022. The average length of stay refers to the number of days that, on average, travellers remain in each of the establishments where they stay overnight, and not the total length of their stay in the Basque Country.
Bed and room occupancy rates experienced a year-on-year increase of 3.3 and 3.4 percentage points respectively, the bed occupancy rate standing at 9.2% and that of rooms at 11.8%.
In relation to tourist apartments, during January 2023 they welcomed a total of 7,051 visitors, giving rise to 35,717 overnight stays. Regarding January the previous year, the increases were 50.4% in the case of visitor numbers and 29.0% in that of overnight stays.
Each of the accommodation units offered under a business operating unit, managed under the block or combined mode, is referred to as a tourist apartment. Private dwellings offered, marketed or temporarily relinquished for reasons of tourism are not included under the heading of dwellings for tourism use.
Visitors, overnight stays, average length of stay and bed occupancy rates in tourist apartments of the Basque Country. January 2023
| | Visitors | Overnight stays | Average stay | Occupancy rates (%) |
| | | by seats | by apartaments |
| | 01/2023 | m/m-12 (%) | 01/2023 | m/m-12 (%) | 01/2023 | 01/2022 | 01/2023 | p.p. * | 01/2023 | p.p. * |
| BASQUE COUNTRY | 7.051 | 50,4 | 35.717 | 29,0 | 5,07 | 5,91 | 26,3 | 0,8 | 54,4 | -1,7 |
| State origin | 5.641 | 51,1 | 25.929 | 31,3 | 4,60 | 5,29 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 1.410 | 47,6 | 9.789 | 23,2 | 6,94 | 8,32 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Araba/Álava | 759 | 35,9 | 6.444 | -3,9 | 8,49 | 12,01 | 20,6 | -1,2 | 56,6 | -5,5 |
| State origin | 719 | 38,7 | 4.733 | -4,8 | 6,58 | 9,59 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 40 | 0,8 | 1.710 | -1,4 | 31,00 | 31,00 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bizkaia | 4.550 | 38,1 | 12.036 | 58,8 | 2,65 | 2,30 | 21,2 | 3,0 | 31,1 | -2,0 |
| State origin | 3.646 | 39,4 | 9.311 | 67,3 | 2,55 | 2,13 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 904 | 32,9 | 2.724 | 35,4 | 3,01 | 2,96 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Gipuzkoa | 1.742 | 108,9 | 17.238 | 28,5 | 9,90 | 16,09 | 36,1 | -0,9 | 75,0 | 6,8 |
| State origin | 1.276 | 113,2 | 11.884 | 29,0 | 9,31 | 15,39 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 466 | 98,1 | 5.354 | 27,5 | 11,49 | 17,87 | - | - | - | - |
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 Februay 22, 2023
Source: Eustat Tourist accommodating establishments survey
Visitors from abroad accounted for 20.0% of visitors and 27.4% of overnight stays in tourist apartments in the Basque Country, after registering year-on-year increases of 47.6% and 23.2%, respectively.
The average length of stay in the establishment was 5.07 days in January 2023, below that obtained in January 2022, which stood at 5.91 days.
At the provincial level, the average length of stay in January 2023 was 2.65 days in Bizkaia, 8.49 days in Álava and 9.90 days in Gipuzkoa.
The bed occupancy rate at the Basque Country level reached 26.3%, after an increase of 0.8 percentage points in relation to January 2022. Lastly, the apartment occupancy rate dropped by 1.7 percentage points to stand at 54.4%.
Informative note
The response rate for the Survey on Tourist Establishments in January 2023 was 90.5% for Rural Accommodation and 77.9% for Tourist Apartments.
Eustat would like to thank all establishments that participated in this survey for their effort.
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