Alicante vs Seville

Seville leads Alicante by 1 points on the CIRA Index, 58 to 57. Alicante grades better on 6 measures, Seville on 9; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

CIRA Index: Alicante 57, Seville 58
OECD: Alicante 59, Seville 58
UN Tourism: Alicante 57, Seville 58
UNDRR: Alicante 60, Seville 57

Theme by theme

Demand and seasonality: Alicante 70, Seville 65
Economy and jobs: Alicante 75, Seville 67
Climate and hazards: Alicante 45, Seville 35
Water and environment: Alicante 42, Seville 50
Community and housing: Alicante 50, Seville 56
Access and continuity: Alicante 66, Seville 70

Where Alicante is stronger

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.
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.
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.
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 Seville is stronger

Nights in the three busiest months: 28.7 % of annual nights (Smart Tourism Office Sevilla / INE (Coyuntura Turística Hotelera), 2024). At or below 30: grade 4/4.
Largest foreign market: 16.4 % of international arrivals or nights (INE, foreign tourists by municipality and country of residence (mobile-phone positioning, table 52048), 2025). Between 15 and 20: grade 3/4.
Tropical nights: 78.6 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: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (metro figure) (EMASESA (Empresa Metropolitana de Abastecimiento y Saneamiento de Aguas de Sevilla) - Saneamiento, 2025). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
Municipal waste per resident: 464.3 kg per resident per year (country figure) (INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística) - Statistics on the Collection and Treatment of Waste, 2023). Between 450 and 550: grade 2/4.
Cruise pressure: 0 cruise passengers in the busiest month per resident (Puertos del Estado, monthly port traffic summaries ("Cuadros resumen", cruise passengers incl. home port and transit), 2025-04). At or below 0: grade 4/4.
Rail share of intercity access: 36.2 % 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). Between 35 and 50: grade 3/4.
Largest airline group share: 38.4 % of airport passengers carried by the largest airline group (Aena, detailed traffic statistics (passengers by airline, route and country), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026). Between 30 and 40: grade 2/4.

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 · Seville in full

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