Press Release 28/12/2023

TOURISM SATELLITE ACCOUNT. Preview. 2022

Tourism expenditure in the Basque Country recovered significantly in 2022, with growth of 49.3% and amounted to 4,738 million euros

Inbound tourism accounted for 60.4% of total tourist spending, 12.7 percentage points more than in 2021

Tourism expenditure in the Basque Country stood at 4,738 million euros in 2022, 1,565 million more than in 2021, according to Eustat data. This figure, which represents growth of 49.3% in respect of the previous year, was close to the 2019 figures, standing in 2022 at 93.2% of the figure achieved in 2019, prior to the COVID crisis. Tourist activity accounted for 5.5% of GDP, one and a half points more than in 2021.

The Tourism Satellite Account is compiled using the methodology of the World Tourism Organization (WTO, EUROSTAT, OCDE, 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 of total tourism expenditure for 2022, as was also observed in 2021, are part of a clear period of recovery of the different components that comprise it. The two aggregates that comprise tourism expenditure continue with positive variations, 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 89.0% in respect of 2021. 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 more moderate recovery (13.1%).

Inbound tourism recorded a stronger recovery than outbound tourism

In 2022, both figures continued to show a trend towards recovery, although they did not follow the same growth rate; inbound tourism performed more dynamically and recovered 1,347 million in 2022 following a 25.9% drop in 2021, which is equivalent to 89.0%. Outbound tourism, which grew by 55.7% in 2021, stood at 4,845 million euros, up 36.0%, an increase of 1,281 million. Based on these figures, the tourism balance went from -2,049 million in 2020 to -1,983 million in 2022.

Tourism expenditure increased in all three Basque Country provinces

The rise in tourism expenditure in 2022, compared to the previous year, was 37.0% in Álava, 56.5% in Bizkaia and 46.7% in Gipuzkoa.

Bizkaia stood out with the highest tourist spending in the Basque Country, accounting for 43.7% and an increase of two percentage points. In contrast, despite growth in tourism expenditure, Álava, which represented 13.7%, suffered a loss of 1.3 percentage points, slightly above that of Gipuzkoa, which dropped seven tenths and accounted for the remaining 42.6%

Contextualizing tourism expenditure in relation to its PIB, revealed an increase in all three provinces in respect of the previous year. Standing out was Gipuzkoa, where tourism contributed 7.1% of GDP, representing an increase of 1.8 percentage points in 2022. In the other two provinces, more moderate performance was observed, the contribution in Bizkaia being 4.6% of its GDP, with an increase of 1.3 points, and in Álava 4.9%, one point more than in the previous year.

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