Morning queues outside Bar Antonio to try a tortilla pintxo and terraces along the Boulevard filled before noon are becoming common sights in Donostia. Conversations in English by the railing of La Concha are frequent, reflecting a city that speaks more English and relies less on its traditional markets.
American, British, and German tourists are among the new adherents to a city solidifying its international profile. Recent data shows that nearly six out of ten people staying in Donostia during the last Easter week were from abroad, a proportion unmatched by other Basque destinations and indicating a growing trend.
While visitors stay an average of two nights in Euskadi, Donostia's pull as a chosen destination during that time is undeniable, according to statistics. The latest data from the Basque Tourism Observatory, Enfokatur, reveals uneven performance across the autonomous community but confirms that tourism growth is increasingly coming from outside Spain, with Donostia being the primary example of this phenomenon.
The Gipuzkoa capital closed the first four months with a 3.9% drop in visitor entries and a 3.3% decrease in overnight stays compared to the previous year, a less favorable balance than Bilbao's. However, the picture changes notably when looking at more recent data, especially from April onwards, as the city begins to break records. Entries grew by 0.5% and overnight stays by 3% in April, coinciding with a favorable Easter period that saw a 9.8% increase in hosted visitors and a 4.9% rise in overnight stays.
The slower start to the year, concentrated in January, February, and March, appears to have been less robust, with the city gaining momentum as it approaches peak season. During Easter week, 58.5% of entries in Donostia accommodations were from foreign tourists, surpassing Bilbao (54.3%) and the Basque average (42.6%).
The international market continues its upward trajectory: foreign visitor entries increased by 7.6% in Donostia compared to the previous Easter, solidifying its position as the Basque destination with the highest international presence. This trend extends to the Basque coast and inland areas, although Donostia still concentrates the largest share of foreign visitors.
This advance aligns with the strong growth from markets like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Visitors from the US increased by 12% and their overnight stays by 13.4% in the first four months. In April alone, US tourist entries soared by 15.6% and overnight stays by 19.5% across the Basque Country, making the US one of the main source markets, nearly tied with the UK. Germany has also shown significant growth. These three markets account for about 10% of total entries.
In contrast, the French market, traditionally Euskadi's primary international market, saw its entries decrease by 4% and overnight stays by 2.6%. The trend also differs from domestic markets. Madrid, the leading source with 12.2% of entries, registered a drop of over 10% in both visitors and overnight stays. Catalonia, Castilla y León, Andalusia, and even Basque domestic tourism have also declined, with the Valencian Community being the only notable exception.
The result is a growing sector, increasingly reliant on international visitors. In the first four months, regulated accommodations in Euskadi recorded 1,272,565 tourist entries and 2,579,501 overnight stays, a slight increase compared to the same period last year. However, this growth has not translated into higher occupancy. The supply of tourist places increased by 3.4%, reaching an average of 56,809 places daily, growing faster than demand. Consequently, average occupancy slightly decreased from 31.5% to 31.4%.
