Press Release 22/02/2024
SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS. Except hotels. January 2024
Visitor numbers for rural accommodation in the Basque Country rose by 2.6% and were up 12.5% for tourist apartments in January 2024
The average length of stay in rural accommodation was 2.08 days, whereas this reached 4.77 days in tourist apartments
In rural accommodation in the Basque Country in January 2024, visitor numbers rose by 2.6% compared to the same month of the previous year, according to Eustat data. With this year-on-year growth, the total number of visitors in January reached 3,797. However, the number of overnight stays fell by 20.4% in year-on-year terms in January 2024, standing at 7,882 for the month as a whole.
Visitors, overnight stays, average length of stay and bed occupancy rates in rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country. January 2024
| | Visitors | Overnight stays | Average stay | Occupancy rates (%) |
| | | by seats | by rooms |
| | 01/2024 | m/m-12 (%) | 01/2024 | m/m-12 (%) | 01/2024 | 01/2023 | 01/2024 | p.p. * | 01/2024 | p.p. * |
| BASQUE COUNTRY | 3.797 | 2,6 | 7.882 | -20,4 | 2,08 | 2,67 | 8,0 | -1,2 | 9,7 | -2,1 |
| State origin | 3.498 | 2,6 | 7.145 | -20,5 | 2,04 | 2,64 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 299 | 2,0 | 737 | -19,5 | 2,46 | 3,12 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Araba/Álava | 927 | 25,4 | 1.776 | -11,3 | 1,92 | 2,71 | 6,8 | -0,7 | 8,1 | -1,5 |
| State origin | 901 | 28,9 | 1.738 | -10,6 | 1,93 | 2,78 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 26 | -35,0 | 38 | -35,6 | 1,46 | 1,48 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bizkaia | 1.174 | 17,4 | 2.418 | -20,1 | 2,06 | 3,03 | 8,8 | -1,0 | 10,4 | -3,2 |
| State origin | 1.148 | 22,4 | 2.280 | -18,6 | 1,99 | 2,99 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 26 | -58,1 | 138 | -38,4 | 5,31 | 3,61 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Gipuzkoa | 1.696 | -13,6 | 3.688 | -24,3 | 2,17 | 2,48 | 8,1 | -1,6 | 10,2 | -1,5 |
| State origin | 1.449 | -18,2 | 3.127 | -26,2 | 2,16 | 2,39 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 247 | 29,3 | 561 | -11,2 | 2,27 | 3,31 | - | - | - | - |
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, 2024
Source: Eustat Tourist accommodating establishments survey
92.1% of visitors registered in rural accommodation in the Basque Country in January 2024 were from within Spain. In relation to January of the previous year, visitors from within Spain rose by 2.6%. In contrast, the number of overnight stays by visitors from within Spain fell by 20.5% in year-on-year terms to stand at 7,145.
The year-on-year increase in visitor numbers reached 25.4% in Álava and 17.4% in Bizkaia, while visitor numbers decreased by 13.6% in Gipuzkoa. As regards overnight stays, all three provinces posted negative year-on-year variations, with a decrease of 24.3% in Gipuzkoa, with 3,688 overnight stays; a drop of 20.1% in Bizkaia, with 2,418; and a fall of 11.3% in Álava with 1,776.
The average length of stay in this type of establishment in the Basque Country was 2.08 days in January, a figure lower than the average length of stay of 2.67 days observed in the same month of 2023. 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 decrease of 1.2 and 2.1 percentage points, respectively, the bed occupancy rate standing at 8.0% and that of rooms at 9.7%.
In relation to tourist apartments, in January 2024 they welcomed a total of 7,936 visitors, giving rise to 37,876 overnight stays. Compared to the previous January, the increases were 12.5% in the case of visitor numbers and 6.0% 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 2024
| | Visitors | Overnight stays | Average stay | Occupancy rates (%) |
| | | by seats | by apartaments |
| | 01/2024 | m/m-12 (%) | 01/2024 | m/m-12 (%) | 01/2024 | 01/2023 | 01/2024 | p.p. * | 01/2024 | p.p. * |
| BASQUE COUNTRY | 7.936 | 12,5 | 37.876 | 6,0 | 4,77 | 5,07 | 27,3 | 1,0 | 55,2 | 0,8 |
| State origin | 6.032 | 6,9 | 26.031 | 0,4 | 4,32 | 4,60 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 1.904 | 35,0 | 11.846 | 21,0 | 6,22 | 6,94 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Araba/Álava | 486 | -36,1 | 7.289 | 13,1 | 15,01 | 8,49 | 23,4 | 2,7 | 73,1 | 16,5 |
| State origin | 435 | -39,5 | 4.957 | 4,7 | 11,39 | 6,58 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 50 | 24,5 | 2.332 | 36,4 | 31,00 | 31,00 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bizkaia | 5.363 | 17,9 | 13.415 | 11,5 | 2,50 | 2,65 | 21,7 | 0,5 | 31,5 | 0,4 |
| State origin | 4.048 | 11,0 | 9.039 | -2,9 | 2,23 | 2,55 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 1.316 | 45,5 | 4.376 | 60,6 | 3,33 | 3,01 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Gipuzkoa | 2.087 | 19,8 | 17.172 | -0,4 | 8,23 | 9,90 | 37,4 | 1,3 | 71,6 | -3,4 |
| State origin | 1.549 | 21,4 | 12.034 | 1,3 | 7,77 | 9,31 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 538 | 15,5 | 5.138 | -4,0 | 9,55 | 11,49 | - | - | - | - |
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, 2024
Source: Eustat Tourist accommodating establishments survey
Visitors from abroad accounted for 24.0% of visitors and 31.3% of overnight stays in tourist apartments in the Basque Country, after registering year-on-year increases of 35.0% and 21.0%, respectively.
The average length of stay for this type of establishment was 4.77 days in January 2024, below that obtained in January 2023, which stood at 5.07 days.
At the provincial level, the average length of stay in January 2024 was 2.50 days in Bizkaia, 15.01 days in Álava and 8.23 days in Gipuzkoa.
The bed occupancy rate at the Basque Country level reached 27.3% after an increase of 1.0 percentage points in relation to January 2023. Lastly, the apartment occupancy rate rose by 0.8 percentage points to stand at 55.2%.
In tourist hostels, in January 2024 visitor numbers and overnight stays totalled 5,483 and 11,956, respectively. In relation to January of the previous year, this meant a drop of 20.4% in the case of visitor numbers and 14.0% in that of overnight stays.
The average length of stay was 2.18 days, as opposed to the 2.02 days in January 2023, and the occupancy rate was 14.6%, 4.2 points below that registered in the same month of the previous year.
Note:
The response rate of the Survey on Tourist Establishments in January 2024 was 96.5% for Rural Accommodation, 89.2% for Tourist Apartments and 87.3% in the case of 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: Tel.: 945 01 75 62