According to an initial assessment of the sector, the occupancy rate was 80-90% in hotels and agritourism, slightly lower than last year. Destino Bilbao spokesperson Joseba Goirigolzarri confirms that they do not expect to recover to pre-pandemic levels in the next two years.
Euskaraz irakurri: Turismoa azko datuen azpitik egon da aurten Aste Santuan
With Holy Week drawing to a close, the sector is of tourism made one first balance of these five days of vacation and its impact on the Basque Country. According to data collected by Euskadi Irratia, the occupancy rate of hotels and agritourism was 80-90%, lower than recorded in 2022 and also in pre-pandemic.
The spokesperson for Destination Bilbao, Joseba Goirigolzarri, explained that hotel occupancy was around 90% over Easter and will be 60-65% for Easter week, thanks to last-minute bookings. The data is worse than last year, showing that pre-pandemic levels have not yet been reached. “We have not yet reached the 2018 or 2019 pre-pandemic data, nor do we expect to arrive in the next two years,” he admitted.
According to Goirigolzarri, the weight of foreign tourists, especially the French, is striking.
Concerning the farms, at Easter the occupancy rate was 80%, also below the dates for 2022. An occupancy rate of 26% is guaranteed for Easter week, six points less than last year. However, Nekatur’s manager, Idoia Ezkurdia, recalls that Easter 2022 was special due to the massive increase in tourism following the pandemic.
Ezkurdia has revealed that most of the tourism is internal and that Álava has recorded the best data. As he noted, the rise in CPI has been noted: “Last year we had mostly four-night stays; this year most were three“.
In the absence of data from hotels in San Sebastian, the San Sebastian Aquarium expects to exceed 14,000 visitors this Holy Week, a figure similar to that of the previous year. The aquarium said in a statement that, not counting this Monday’s data, a total of 11,822 people passed through its facilities from last Thursday through Sunday.
One last fact: the airports of Euskal Herria (Bilbao, Hondarribia, Foronda, Noain and Biarritz) have more than 170 flights scheduled today.
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Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
