Press release 22/01/2025

SURVEY ON TOURIST ESTABLISHMENTS. Hotels. December 2024

Visitor numbers and overnight stays at hotel establishments in the Basque Country rose by 2.1% and 3.4% in 2024, setting an all-time record

In December 2024, visitor numbers fell by 4.9% and overnight stays were down 0.6% compared to December 2023

Visitor numbers and overnight stays at hotel establishments in the Basque Country rose by 2.1% and 3.4% in 2024, thus achieving a new all-time record of 3,764,003 visitors and 7,457,707 overnight stays, according to Eustat data.

In Álava, a total of 525,956 visitors were recorded over the course of 2024, 14.0% of the total for the Basque Country, which led to 1,075,845 overnight stays, 14.4% of the total. Bizkaia accounted for 44.3% of visitor numbers (1,665,846) and 43.2% of overnight stays (3,220,788). Lastly, Gipuzkoa was responsible for 41.8% of visitors, contributing 1,572,201 to the total, and 3,161,074 overnight stays, representing 42.4% of the total.

These figures translated into year-on-year increases in the number of visitors of 4.4% in Álava and 5.1% in Gipuzkoa, while in Bizkaia they meant a drop of 1.3% compared to 2023 as a whole. Overnight stays performed similarly in 2024, with increases in respect of the previous year of 7.7% in Álava and 6.0% in Gipuzkoa, while in Bizkaia they fell by 0.4%. Both visitor numbers and overnight stays reached record highs in Álava and Gipuzkoa.

The number of visitors from abroad over the course of 2024 was 5.5% higher than that recorded in 2023. In the case of overnight stays, the increase was even greater, reaching annual growth of 7.0%. As for the foreign visitors’ countries of origin, of particular note was France with 373,345 visitors, 21.1% of the total, and the United States with 174,732 (9.9%). However, it was visitors from Finland and Brazil who recorded the longest average stay in the Basque Country, with 2.55 days in both cases.

By provincial capital, in Vitoria-Gasteiz and San Sebastián, the number of registered visitors rose by 5.7% and 7.2%, and overnight stays were up 9.2% and 9.5%, respectively. In Bilbao, on the other hand, both visitor numbers and overnight stays in 2024 were down on the previous year, falling by 2.0% and 1.0%, respectively.

The average length of stay in 2024 was 1.98 days in the Basque Country as a whole, slightly higher than that observed in the previous year, which was 1.96 days. In the case of Álava, this figure stood at 2.05 days compared to 1.98 in 2023. In Bizkaia, it was 1.93 days, very similar to the 1.92 days obtained in 2023 and, lastly, in Gipuzkoa, it stood at 2.01 days, also similar to the 1.99 recorded for the previous year.

In 2024, occupancy rates at hotel establishments for the Basque Country as a whole were 57.7% in the case of beds and 69.0% in that of rooms. In relation to 2023, the bed occupancy rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points, while the room occupancy rate increased by 0.5 points.

With regard to profitability indicators, 2024 closed with an ADR of 114 euros for the Basque Country as a whole and a RevPar of 78.6 euros, 5.3% and 6.1% more than the previous year, respectively.

In December 2024, visitor numbers at hotel establishments in the Basque Country decreased by 4.9% and overnight stays were down 0.6% in year-on-year terms (December 2024 compared to December 2023). The total number of visitors, which rose to 242,974, led to a total of 468,277 overnight stays.

Foreign visitors accounted for 34.0% of the total number of visitors and 35.0% of overnight stays in December 2024, higher percentages than those recorded in December 2023, when visitors and overnight stays from abroad represented 30.9% and 31.5%, respectively. In fact, foreign visitor numbers and overnight stays increased in year-on-year terms by 4.7% and 10.6%, respectively.

In Álava, there were 36,558 visitors and 77,766 overnight stays, 1.0% and 6.1% more than in December the previous year. In Bizkaia, however, there was a decrease of 9.6% in the case of visitors and 4.0% in that of overnight stays, with a total of 108,926 visitors and 208,498 overnight stays. In Gipuzkoa, 97,490 visitors were recorded in the last month of 2024 (1.3% less than in December 2023) and there were 182,013 overnight stays (0.8% more than in the same month of the previous year).

By provincial capital, visitor numbers rose by 2.1% in Vitoria-Gasteiz and fell by 5.1% in Bilbao and 2.7% in San Sebastián. Meanwhile, the increase in overnight stays compared to the previous December reached 6.5% in Vitoria-Gasteiz and 0.1% in both Bilbao and San Sebastián.

The average length of stay in December 2024 was 1.93 days in the Basque Country as a whole, above that obtained in the same month of 2023, which was 1.84 days.

The occupancy rate in December 2024 for the Basque Country as a whole was 44.0% in the case of beds and 52.2% in that of rooms. Compared to December 2023, the bed occupancy rate fell by 2.8 percentage points and the room occupancy rate was down 2.3 points.

Profitability, measured using the ADR or average daily rate, reached 87.1 euros in December 2024 in the Basque Country as a whole, which was a rise of 3.0% compared to December of the previous year. In the case of Gipuzkoa, the ADR reached 90.4 euros, in Bizkaia it was 88.4 euros and in Álava it stood at 76 euros. By provincial capital, the differences were greater, given that the ADR was 101.3 euros in San Sebastián, 92.2 euros in Bilbao and, lastly, 69.3 euros in Vitoria-Gasteiz. The RevPar, or average revenue per available room, was 45.4 euros in the Basque Country in December 2024, 1.3% lower than in the same month of the previous year.

Informative note

The coverage of the ETR for Hotels in December 2024 was 85.8%. Eustat would like to thank all establishments that participated in this survey for their effort.

Data browser for tourism in the Basque Country. Hotel establishments

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