Alicante vs Córdoba

Alicante and Córdoba are level on the CIRA Index at 57. Alicante grades better on 6 measures, Córdoba on 7; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Alicante 57, Córdoba 57
• OECD: Alicante 59, Córdoba 56
• UN Tourism: Alicante 57, Córdoba 55
• UNDRR: Alicante 60, Córdoba 59

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Alicante 70, Córdoba 54
• Economy and jobs: Alicante 75, Córdoba 67
• Climate and hazards: Alicante 45, Córdoba 45
• Water and environment: Alicante 42, Córdoba 44
• Community and housing: Alicante 50, Córdoba 67
• Access and continuity: Alicante 66, Córdoba 66

Where Alicante is stronger

• Average length of stay: 2.6 nights per visitor (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana / INE, 'Perfil del turista alojado en oferta reglada en la Comunitat Valenciana. Resultados año 2023', 2023). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 79 % average annual occupancy (Ayuntamiento de Alicante / Patronato Municipal de Turismo Alicante City&Beach and APHA, 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Unemployment rate: 11.4 % of the labour force (region figure) (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Encuesta de Población Activa (EPA), Q2 2026). Between 8 and 12: grade 2/4.
• Extreme heat days: 2.8 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Alicante Turismo - ALICANTE City & Beach, 'How to Get to Alicante', 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (Patronato de Turismo Alicante City&Beach, 'Plan Estratégico Alicante como Destino Turístico Sostenible 2023-2027', 2023–2027). Grade 2/4.

Where Córdoba is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 56.7 % of nights by residents of the same country (Instituto Municipal de Turismo de Córdoba (IMTUR) / INE, Informe 2023 del Observatorio Turístico de Córdoba, 2023). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Tropical nights: 70.2 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 60 and 100: grade 1/4.
• Flood hazard: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 86 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (region figure) (Diputación de Córdoba - Observatorio de Sostenibilidad de la Provincia de Córdoba, Tasa de depuración de aguas residuales municipales, 2020). Between 85 and 95: grade 3/4.
• Tourism intensity: 4.8 visitor nights per resident per year (Instituto Municipal de Turismo de Córdoba (IMTUR) & Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), 2023). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 1.6 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística) via El Día de Córdoba, May 2025). Between 1 and 2: grade 2/4.
• Rail share of intercity access: 100 % of intercity passengers travelling by long-distance rail (rail vs rail + airport) (Ministerio de Transportes, Observatorio del Ferrocarril en España 2024 (rail, by city) and Eurostat avia_paoa (airport), 2024). At or above 50: grade 4/4.

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

Alicante in full · Córdoba in full

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