Press Release 22/11/2023
SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS. Except hotels. October 2023
In October 2023 visitor numbers increased by 8.8% in tourist apartments, while in rural accommodation they remained stable
Overnight stays by foreign visitors were up 6.5% in rural accommodation and 24.5% in tourist apartments
Visitor numbers in rural accommodation in the Basque country in October 2023 matched those of the same month of the previous year, 14,976, according to Eustat data. As regards overnight stays, these were also almost identical: 33,866 overnight stays in October 2023 and 33,876 in October 2022.
Visitors, overnight stays, average length of stay and bed occupancy rates in rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country. October 2023
| | Visitors | Overnight stays | Average stay | Occupancy rates (%) |
| | | by seats | by rooms |
| | 10/2023 | m/m-12 (%) | 10/2023 | m/m-12 (%) | 10/2023 | 10/2022 | 10/2023 | p.p. * | 10/2023 | p.p. * |
| BASQUE COUNTRY | 14.976 | 0,0 | 33.866 | 0,0 | 2,26 | 2,26 | 24,9 | 0,6 | 29,2 | 0,9 |
| State origin | 11.425 | 1,5 | 26.398 | -1,7 | 2,31 | 2,39 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 3.551 | -4,5 | 7.468 | 6,5 | 2,10 | 1,89 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Araba/Álava | 3.024 | 13,2 | 6.617 | 15,5 | 2,19 | 2,14 | 19,4 | 2,6 | 21,6 | 2,7 |
| State origin | 2.495 | 10,2 | 5.578 | 11,2 | 2,24 | 2,22 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 529 | 30,0 | 1.039 | 45,5 | 1,96 | 1,75 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bizkaia | 4.635 | -14,0 | 10.110 | -15,1 | 2,18 | 2,21 | 25,2 | -4,1 | 30,3 | -3,7 |
| State origin | 3.591 | -8,4 | 7.786 | -14,6 | 2,17 | 2,33 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 1.044 | -29,0 | 2.324 | -16,8 | 2,23 | 1,90 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Gipuzkoa | 7.317 | 5,8 | 17.139 | 5,6 | 2,34 | 2,35 | 27,8 | 2,6 | 32,6 | 3,1 |
| State origin | 5.339 | 5,2 | 13.034 | 2,4 | 2,44 | 2,51 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 1.978 | 7,4 | 4.105 | 17,2 | 2,08 | 1,90 | - | - | - | - |
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 November 22, 2023
Source: Eustat Tourist accommodating establishments survey
With a 4.5% decrease compared to October of the previous year, visitors from abroad accounted for 23.7% of the total number of visitors in Basque Country rural accommodation in October 2023. Meanwhile, as regards overnight stays, those by visitors from abroad represented 22.1% of the total, following an increase of 6.5% compared to October 2022.
By province, visitor numbers rose by 13.2% in Álava and 5.8% in Gipuzkoa, while they fell by 14.0% in Bizkaia. In year on year terms, overnight stays increased by 15.5% in Álava and 5.6% in Gipuzkoa, while in Bizkaia they were down 15.1%.
The average length of stay in this type of establishment in the Basque Country was 2.26 days in October 2023, identical to that observed in the same month of the previous year. 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.
The bed occupancy rate was 0.6 percentage points higher than that obtained in October 2022, standing at 24.9%. The room occupancy rate stood at 29.2%, which was a year-on-year increase of 0.9 points.
In relation to tourist apartments, in October 2023 there was a total of 14,775 visitors, giving rise to 52,944 overnight stays. Comparing this data with that of the previous October, the increase reached 8.8% in the case of visitor numbers and 2.1% 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. October 2023
| | Visitors | Overnight stays | Average stay | Occupancy rates (%) |
| | | by seats | by apartaments |
| | 10/2023 | m/m-12 (%) | 10/2023 | m/m-12 (%) | 10/2023 | 10/2022 | 10/2023 | p.p. * | 10/2023 | p.p. * |
| BASQUE COUNTRY | 14.775 | 8,8 | 52.944 | 2,1 | 3,58 | 3,82 | 35,7 | -1,7 | 62,8 | -6,0 |
| State origin | 9.317 | -2,7 | 32.203 | -8,5 | 3,46 | 3,67 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 5.459 | 36,4 | 20.741 | 24,5 | 3,80 | 4,16 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Araba/Álava | 1.158 | -10,8 | 8.450 | 0,5 | 7,30 | 6,47 | 25,4 | 0,2 | 66,6 | -6,6 |
| State origin | 979 | -15,8 | 5.957 | -10,8 | 6,08 | 5,74 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 179 | 31,1 | 2.493 | 44,4 | 13,94 | 12,65 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bizkaia | 9.742 | 6,5 | 22.471 | 2,2 | 2,31 | 2,40 | 34,9 | -2,9 | 47,4 | -5,3 |
| State origin | 6.016 | -5,5 | 12.520 | -12,4 | 2,08 | 2,25 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 3.726 | 33,7 | 9.951 | 29,2 | 2,67 | 2,76 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Gipuzkoa | 3.875 | 23,9 | 22.023 | 2,7 | 5,68 | 6,85 | 43,2 | -2,0 | 76,2 | -5,4 |
| State origin | 2.321 | 13,4 | 13.726 | -3,4 | 5,91 | 6,94 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 1.554 | 43,9 | 8.297 | 14,8 | 5,34 | 6,69 | - | - | - | - |
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 November 22, 2023
Source: Eustat Tourist accommodating establishments survey
Visitors from abroad accounted for 36.9% of the total number of visitors and 39.2% of the total number of overnight stays in tourist apartments in the Basque Country, after registering year-on-year increases in October 2023 of 36.4% and 24.5%, respectively.
The average length of stay in tourist apartments was 3.58 days in October 2023, below that obtained in October 2022, which stood at 3.82 days for the Basque Country as a whole. The average length of stay in this type of establishment was 7.30 days in Álava, 5.68 days in Gipuzkoa and 2.31 days in Bizkaia.
The bed occupancy rate at the Basque Country level reached 35.7% in October 2023, 1.7 percentage points lower than that observed in October 2022. In turn, the apartment occupancy rate fell by 6.0 percentage points to stand at 62.8%.
In respect of tourist hostels in the Basque Country, in October 2023 there was a year-on-year decrease in visitor numbers of 5.6%, reaching a total of 20,165 visitors who generated 35,946 overnight stays. 21,219 overnight stays were registered in Bizkaia, 13,387 in Gipuzkoa and lastly, in Álava, the number of overnight stays in this type of accommodation was 1,339.
In October 2023, the average length of stay in tourist hostels was 1.78 days in the Basque Country as a whole and the bed occupancy rate, after a year-on-year decrease of 0.2 percentage points, stood at 36.2%.
Note:
The response rate for the Survey on Tourist Establishments this month was 94.9% for Rural Accommodation, 85.3% for Tourist Apartments and 79.5% for Tourist Hostels. 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: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tel.: 945 01 75 62