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Tourism in the Basque Autonomous Community has increased considerably in recent years. According to data from the Eustat (Basque Institute for Statistics) the number of tourists entering the region in the year 2009 was 1,991,790, a figure which has improved over 2010, with the final result still pending. Of the people who visit the region each year, 71% come from the rest of Spain, with the following Autonomous Communities providing the greatest number of visitors: Madrid Autonomous Community (14.2%), Catalonia (11.1%). International visitors make up the remaining 29%, with France (7.2%) being the country which provides the most visitors to the Basque Autonomous Community. Furthermore, 62% of the people who come to the Basque Autonomous Community visit one of the three capitals, 27% visit inland and 11% the Basque Autonomous Community coast. The average stay of the visitors is 1.88 days, with Gipuzkoa being the province which records the longest stays, with an average of 2.01 days.
Map of Basque Country, Spain
In terms of the quality of the tourist services, 272 establishments are in possession of the Q award for high quality tourist services, the certificate which represents quality in the Spanish tourism sector. Furthermore, in the Basque Autonomous Community 140 tourist establishments now have the Accessibility Seal which is part of the framework of the Accessibility Programme which has been developed by the Ministry for Industry, Innovation, Trade and Tourism of the Basque Government. This programme advises and prepares tourist establishments to improve their ability to serve customers with physical and intellectual difficulties and visual and hearing impairment. The programme is therefore responsible for showing the establishments how their services can be geared to these customers to offer them a stay with full accessibility which is adapted to their needs. This includes hotels, holiday apartments, tourist offices, interpretation centres, among others.