A Coruña vs Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela leads A Coruña by 1 points on the CIRA Index, 67 to 66. A Coruña grades better on 8 measures, Santiago de Compostela on 4; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: A Coruña 66, Santiago de Compostela 67
• OECD: A Coruña 68, Santiago de Compostela 65
• UN Tourism: A Coruña 66, Santiago de Compostela 70
• UNDRR: A Coruña 54, Santiago de Compostela 52

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: A Coruña 75, Santiago de Compostela 75
• Economy and jobs: A Coruña 81, Santiago de Compostela 83
• Climate and hazards: A Coruña 65, Santiago de Compostela 65
• Water and environment: A Coruña 58, Santiago de Compostela 75
• Community and housing: A Coruña 80, Santiago de Compostela 69
• Access and continuity: A Coruña 56, Santiago de Compostela 52

Where A Coruña is stronger

• Average length of stay: 2.4 nights per visitor (INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística) via EpData, August 2026). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 421 kg per resident per year (El Ideal Gallego / Ministerio de Hacienda (Costes efectivos de los servicios de las entidades locales), 2022). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4.
• Tourism intensity: 4.4 visitor nights per resident per year (INE (Coyuntura Turística Hotelera and Padrón Municipal), 2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: 2.5 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Idealista, August 2025 – August 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 0.5 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), reported by La Opinión A Coruña, May 2025). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (spain.info / Concello da Coruña, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Largest airline group share: 53.2 % of airport passengers carried by the largest airline group (Aena, detailed traffic statistics (passengers by airline, route and country), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026). Between 40 and 55: grade 1/4.
• Early warning and emergency plan: A city emergency plan exists, not updated in the last 3 years (El Español, 2025). Grade 2/4.

Where Santiago de Compostela is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 11.7 % of international arrivals or nights (INE, foreign tourists by municipality and country of residence (mobile-phone positioning, table 52048), 2025). At or below 15: grade 4/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 76.6 % average annual occupancy (INE via EpData, August 2026). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 90 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística) - Indicadores de la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible, 2020). Between 85 and 95: grade 3/4.
• Air traffic recovery: 101.3 % of the same 12 months of 2019, airport passengers (Eurostat avia_paoa, 2025-04–2026-03). Between 100 and 110: grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Spain: #3 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Spain: #3 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

A Coruña in full · Santiago de Compostela in full

The CIRA Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · CIRA Studio · Put your city in the pilot