- The City Council of San Sebastián and the management of the cultural capital San Sebastián 2016 have estimated that the cultural capital has contributed 47.1 million euros to the economic texture of the city. The budget of the cultural capital was 46.8 million euros.
An economic assessment of the project was made on Wednesday. According to the report presented by the cultural capital Donostia 2016 at the end of the year, 3,193 activities have been carried out throughout the year (eight per day). According to the study used for the valuation, 60% of these 47 million have been received by the hospitality and commercial sector.
According to the news provided by El País, the economic performance in San Sebastián is lower than in other cities that have received the same responsibility. The newspaper compares the results obtained with the economic impact of other conferences held in that same city. The Festival generated economic benefits of 27 million euros in nine days, according to a 2013 study, Jazz 11 million in six days, and Behobia-San Sebastian 15 million in one day.
In statements received by the newspaper, the mayor, Eneko Goia, said that the cultural capital has been noticed and that the arrival of tourists and the cultural offer has been extended to all seasons. According to the same study, 1,894,610 people spent the night in hostels and hotels in the city. For every inhabitant of the city, ten visitors slept in San Sebastian. This figure has increased by 8.4% compared to last year.