INEbase / Holiday Dwellings Occupancy Survey / Methodology

Summary

Analysis units

These are all holiday dwelling establishments and operating companies, registered as such in the corresponding tourist councils from each Autonomous Community in agreement with the definitions of the said accommodation that feature in the different Autonomous regulations.

A holiday dwelling establishment is understood to be any productive unit whose main activity is accommodation.

In some Autonomous Communities the analysis units are holiday dwelling companies. These are defined as physical or legal persons whether or not they own the accommodation that habitually rent out holiday dwellings.

Scope

All national establishments and/or companies are investigated with the exception of Ceuta and Melilla where there are no establishments of this type.

Variables definition

Estimated dwellings of an establishment or company who use holiday dwellings

Total number of dwellings estimated by the survey belonging to establishments or companies that operate seasonally. A seasonal establishment is understood to be that where the reference month falls within the period when it is open. A holiday dwelling (unit) is the property which is usually let for occasional accommodation.

Estimated vacancies of an establishment or company who uses holiday dwellings

Total number of vacancies estimated by the survey belonging to seasonal establishments or companies which rent out dwellings. The number of vacancies is the number of fixed beds in the establishments. Not included therefore are supplementary beds. Double beds have room for two people.

Travellers checked in

Those persons who stay one or more consecutive nights in the same accommodation.
Travellers are classified by their country of residence and for residents in Spain, by the Autonomous Community where they live normally.

Overnight stays or occupied vacancies

Overnight stay is understood to be every night that a traveller stays in the establishment. Just as with the arrival of travellers, occupied vacancies are broken down according to place of residence.

Average Stay

This variable is an approximation of the number of days, on average, that travellers stay in dwellings and it is calculated as the quotient between overnight stays and the number of travellers.

Degree of occupancy by posts

Relation, as a percentage, between the total overnight stays and the product of available vacancies by the days to which overnight stays refer plus the supplementary beds used. Supplementary beds are understood to be all those which are not fixed and which are not in the vacancies declared officially by the establishment and which appear in the directory.

Degree of occupancy by dwellings

Relation as percentage, between the total dwellings occupied over the month and the dwellings available in the same period by days of the reference month.

Level of occupancy by bedplaces at weekends

Relationship, as a percentage, between overnight stays on Friday and Saturday that are in the reference week and the product of the vacancies, including extra beds for those two days, by the days the overnight stays refer to.

Level of occupancy of lots on weekends

This is the relationship, as a percentage, between occupied apartments on Friday and Saturday that are in the reference week and the product of the available holiday dwellings on the days which the occupied holiday dwellings refers to.

Occupied personnel

This is the set of people, remunerated and non-remunerated who contribute via the contribution of their work, to the production of goods and services in the establishment and/or companies during the survey reference period even if they work outside these places.

Tourist point

Municipality where the concentration of tourist amenities is significant.

Tourist area

Group of municipalities where tourist inflow is specifically located. Information is presented on the areas that attract the greatest amount of tourists.

Collection of the information

The query for basic data refers to a fortnight a month, chosen randomly, in such a way that the whole month is covered between all establishments and/or companies.

Information is provided monthly by holiday dwelling establishments or operating companies, using a questionnaire, to the National Statistics Institute. Likewise, it is possible to submit the information telematically or by uploading an XML file or over an Internet connection by means of the ARCE system, by completing the questionnaire directly on-screen.

Dissemination of the information

The information is presented on different levels of geographical breakdown: national, Autonomous Community, Provincial, tourist areas and regions.

Data estimates are published taking data from responses by establishments or companies datos in the reference fortnight.