Press Release 21/06/2024
SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS. Except hotels. May 2024
Visitor numbers rose by 31.8% in rural accommodation and 47.6% in tourist apartments in the Basque Country in May 2024
Tourist hostels saw an 18.9% increase in visitor numbers
In rural accommodation in the Basque Country in May 2024, visitor numbers rose by 31.8% and overnight stays were up 27.3% compared to the same month of the previous year, according to Eustat data.
Visitor numbers reached 19,118 and the total number of overnight stays stood at 39,905.
Visitors, overnight stays, average length of stay and bed occupancy rates in rural tourism establishments in the Basque Country. May 2024
| | Visitors | Overnight stays | Average stay | Occupancy rates (%) |
| | | by seats | by rooms |
| | 05/2024 | m/m-12 (%) | 05/2024 | m/m-12 (%) | 05/2024 | 05/2023 | 05/2024 | p.p. * | 05/2024 | p.p. * |
| BASQUE COUNTRY | 19.118 | 31,8 | 39.905 | 27,3 | 2,09 | 2,16 | 29,2 | 6,4 | 34,5 | 7,0 |
| State origin | 12.875 | 36,5 | 25.992 | 21,5 | 2,02 | 2,27 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 6.243 | 23,0 | 13.913 | 39,7 | 2,23 | 1,96 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Araba/Álava | 3.528 | 37,3 | 6.227 | 17,9 | 1,77 | 2,06 | 18,2 | 3,1 | 23,1 | 3,9 |
| State origin | 3.048 | 56,0 | 5.368 | 40,9 | 1,76 | 1,95 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 480 | -22,0 | 859 | -41,5 | 1,79 | 2,39 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bizkaia | 5.296 | 29,2 | 11.309 | 36,5 | 2,14 | 2,02 | 29,4 | 9,1 | 34,2 | 10,6 |
| State origin | 3.441 | 15,9 | 7.401 | 15,8 | 2,15 | 2,15 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 1.855 | 64,2 | 3.908 | 106,1 | 2,11 | 1,68 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Gipuzkoa | 10.294 | 31,3 | 22.369 | 25,8 | 2,17 | 2,27 | 34,8 | 6,2 | 40,6 | 5,6 |
| State origin | 6.386 | 41,6 | 13.223 | 18,2 | 2,07 | 2,48 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 3.908 | 17,4 | 9.146 | 38,8 | 2,34 | 1,98 | - | - | - | - |
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 June 21, 2024
Source: Eustat Tourist accommodating establishments survey
Following a 23.0% increase compared to the previous May, visitors from abroad accounted for 32.7% of the total number of visitors in May 2024 in rural accommodation in the Basque Country. As regards overnight stays, those by visitors from abroad represented 34.9% of the total, an increase of 39.7% compared to the same month of the previous year.
By province, year-on-year increases in visitor numbers in May 2024 reached 37.3% in Álava, 31.3% in Gipuzkoa and 29.2% in Bizkaia. In the case of overnight stays, the increases were 36.5% in Bizkaia, 25.8% in Gipuzkoa and 17.9% in Álava.
The average length of stay in this type of establishment in the Basque Country was 2.09 days in May, which is below the average length of stay of 2.16 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 increase of 6.4 and 7.0 percentage points respectively, the bed occupancy rate standing at 29.2% and that of rooms at 34.5%.
As regards tourist apartments, in May 2024 they welcomed a total of 19,904 visitors, resulting in 63,577 overnight stays. Comparing these figures with those recorded in May the previous year, there was an increase of 47.6% in the case of visitor numbers and a rise of 30.0% 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. May 2024
| | Visitors | Overnight stays | Average stay | Occupancy rates (%) |
| | | by seats | by apartaments |
| | 05/2024 | m/m-12 (%) | 05/2024 | m/m-12 (%) | 05/2024 | 05/2023 | 05/2024 | p.p. * | 05/2024 | p.p. * |
| BASQUE COUNTRY | 19.904 | 47,6 | 63.577 | 30,0 | 3,19 | 3,63 | 42,1 | 7,5 | 71,1 | 8,5 |
| State origin | 10.930 | 44,8 | 35.817 | 31,3 | 3,28 | 3,61 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 8.973 | 51,2 | 27.760 | 28,3 | 3,09 | 3,65 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Araba/Álava | 1.168 | -15,5 | 9.523 | 34,1 | 8,16 | 5,14 | 30,0 | 8,6 | 77,9 | 23,8 |
| State origin | 999 | -11,1 | 6.096 | 24,6 | 6,10 | 4,35 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 168 | -34,7 | 3.427 | 55,0 | 20,36 | 8,58 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bizkaia | 12.944 | 57,8 | 27.121 | 35,4 | 2,10 | 2,44 | 40,5 | 6,4 | 55,9 | 6,5 |
| State origin | 7.172 | 56,3 | 14.151 | 38,0 | 1,97 | 2,23 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 5.772 | 59,6 | 12.970 | 32,7 | 2,25 | 2,70 | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Gipuzkoa | 5.792 | 48,6 | 26.933 | 23,6 | 4,65 | 5,59 | 51,7 | 7,3 | 83,4 | 5,1 |
| State origin | 2.759 | 50,2 | 15.570 | 28,4 | 5,64 | 6,60 | - | - | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 3.033 | 47,1 | 11.363 | 17,6 | 3,75 | 4,69 | - | - | - | - |
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 June 21, 2024
Source: Eustat Tourist accommodating establishments survey
Visitors from abroad accounted for 45.1% of the total number of visitors and 43.7% of the total number of overnight stays in tourist apartments in the Basque Country, after registering year-on-year increases of 51.2% and 28.3% respectively in May 2024.
In the Basque Country as a whole, the average length of stay in tourist apartments was 3.19 days in May 2024, below that obtained in May 2023. The average length of stay in this type of establishment was 8.16 days in Álava, 4.65 days in Gipuzkoa and 2.10 days in Bizkaia.
The bed occupancy rate at the Basque Country level reached 42.1%, representing an increase of 7.5 percentage points in relation to May 2023. The apartment occupancy rate increased by 8.5 percentage points to stand at 71.1%.
In respect of tourist hostels in the Basque Country, in May 2024 there was a year-on-year increase of 18.9% in visitor numbers, reaching a total of 28,849 visitors who generated a total of 48,931 overnight stays. 28,517 overnight stays were registered in Bizkaia (+26.9%), 19,154 in Gipuzkoa (+11.5%) and lastly, in Álava, the number of overnight stays was 1,260 (+17.9%).
Visitors, overnight stays, average length of stay and bed occupancy rates in tourist hostels of the Basque Country. May 2024
| | Visitors | Overnight stays | Average stay | Degree of occupation by places (%) |
| | 05/2024 | m/m-12 (%) | 05/2024 | m/m-12 (%) | 05/2024 | 05/2023 | 05/2024 | p.p. |
| BASQUE COUNTRY | 28.849 | 18,9 | 48.931 | 20,2 | 1,70 | 1,68 | 46,7 | 7,1 |
| State origin | 10.975 | 12,5 | 18.073 | 4,5 | 1,65 | 1,77 | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 17.874 | 23,1 | 30.858 | 31,8 | 1,73 | 1,61 | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Araba/Álava | 785 | 10,3 | 1.260 | 17,9 | 1,60 | 1,50 | 33,0 | 8,0 |
| State origin | 632 | -5,4 | 815 | -20,1 | 1,29 | 1,53 | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 153 | 252,1 | 444 | 832,8 | 2,90 | 1,10 | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Bizkaia | 16.121 | 30,8 | 28.517 | 26,9 | 1,77 | 1,82 | 52,3 | 10,5 |
| State origin | 6.268 | 25,1 | 11.058 | 12,8 | 1,76 | 1,96 | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 9.853 | 34,7 | 17.458 | 37,9 | 1,77 | 1,73 | - | - |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Gipuzkoa | 11.943 | 6,3 | 19.154 | 11,5 | 1,60 | 1,53 | 41,2 | 3,0 |
| State origin | 4.074 | 0,0 | 6.199 | -4,3 | 1,52 | 1,59 | - | - |
| Foreign origin | 7.868 | 9,9 | 12.955 | 21,0 | 1,65 | 1,50 | - | - |
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 June 21, 2024
Source: Eustat Tourist accommodating establishments survey
The average length of stay in this type of accommodation in May 2024 was 1.70 days in the Basque Country as a whole and the bed occupancy rate, following a year-on-year increase of 7.1 percentage points, reached 46.7%.
Note:
The response rate for the Survey on Tourist Establishments this month was 94.1% for Rural Accommodation, 87.3% for Tourist Apartments and 84.4% 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: Tel.: 945 01 75 62