Alicante vs Palma

Alicante leads Palma by 3 points on the CIRA Index, 57 to 54. Alicante grades better on 10 measures, Palma on 8; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Alicante 57, Palma 54
• OECD: Alicante 59, Palma 53
• UN Tourism: Alicante 57, Palma 51
• UNDRR: Alicante 60, Palma 54

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Alicante 70, Palma 46
• Economy and jobs: Alicante 75, Palma 83
• Climate and hazards: Alicante 45, Palma 55
• Water and environment: Alicante 42, Palma 38
• Community and housing: Alicante 50, Palma 35
• Access and continuity: Alicante 66, Palma 69

Where Alicante is stronger

• Nights in the three busiest months: 33.3 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2024, 2025 moving average). Between 30 and 35: grade 3/4.
• Domestic share of nights: 42.6 % of nights by residents of the same country (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Research by World Travel & Tourism Council; Travel & Tourism by World Travel & Tourism Council), 2026). Between 35 and 45: grade 3/4.
• Largest foreign market: 21.5 % of international arrivals or nights (INE, foreign tourists by municipality and country of residence (mobile-phone positioning, table 52048), 2025). Between 20 and 30: 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.
• 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.
• Tourism intensity: 7.6 visitor nights per resident per year (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana / INE, 'Perfil del turista alojado en oferta reglada en la Comunitat Valenciana' & INE Padrón Municipal, 2023). Between 5 and 10: grade 3/4.
• Cruise pressure: 0.1 cruise passengers in the busiest month per resident (Puertos del Estado, monthly port traffic summaries ("Cuadros resumen", cruise passengers incl. home port and transit), 2025-08). Between 0.1 and 0.3: grade 2/4.
• 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.
• Air route concentration: 50.6 % of international air passengers on routes to the 3 largest partner countries (Aena, detailed traffic statistics (passengers by airline, route and country), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026). Between 50 and 65: grade 2/4.
• 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 Palma is stronger

• Average length of stay: 5.1 nights per visitor (region figure) (Govern de les Illes Balears / Consell Econòmic i Social de les Illes Balears (CES), 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Unemployment rate: 6.1 % of the labour force (region figure) (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Encuesta de Población Activa (EPA), Q2 2026). Between 5 and 8: grade 3/4.
• Tropical nights: 93.2 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.
• Wildfire and storm hazard: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: 5.9 % change in rents over the last 12 months (idealista, Informe de precios de alquiler, August 2025 – August 2026). Between 3 and 6: grade 3/4.
• Short-let density: 0.5 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Medición del número de viviendas turísticas en España y su capacidad (via Ultima Hora), November 2024). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4.
• Largest airline group share: 24.6 % of airport passengers carried by the largest airline group (Aena, detailed traffic statistics (passengers by airline, route and country), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026). Between 20 and 30: grade 3/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Govern de les Illes Balears, Ley 2/2016 del impuesto sobre estancias turísticas en las Illes Balears y de medidas de impulso del turismo sostenible, 2024-2026). 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

Alicante in full · Palma in full

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