Athens vs Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Athens leads Santa Cruz de Tenerife by 1 points on the CIRA Index, 63 to 62. Athens grades better on 12 measures, Santa Cruz de Tenerife on 11; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Athens 63, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 62
• OECD: Athens 58, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 62
• UN Tourism: Athens 62, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 58
• UNDRR: Athens 60, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 55

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Athens 67, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 58
• Economy and jobs: Athens 56, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 75
• Climate and hazards: Athens 40, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 65
• Water and environment: Athens 50, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 50
• Community and housing: Athens 63, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 60
• Access and continuity: Athens 79, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 64

Where Athens is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 13.8 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Bank of Greece / INSETE Intelligence, Annual Tourism Report, 2023). At or below 15: grade 4/4.
• Recovery against 2019: 140.5 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (region figure) (Bank of Greece, Developments in the balance of travel services: 2024 & 2019, 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Average length of stay: 5.4 nights per visitor (region figure) (Bank of Greece, Developments in the balance of travel services: 2024, 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 77.1 % average annual occupancy (Athens-Attica & Argosaronic Hotel Association (EXAAA) & GBR Consulting via GTP Headlines, 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 519 kg per resident per year (country figure) (European Environment Agency (EEA), Country Profile: Waste Management – Greece, 2022). Between 450 and 550: grade 2/4.
• Resident support for tourism: 82.4 % of residents who say tourism benefits them or the city (country figure) (ETERON - Institute for Research and Social Change, 2024). At or above 70: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (metro figure) (Athens International Airport / Hellenic Train / Piraeus Port Authority / Hellenic Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Municipality of Athens - #CoolAthens & C40 Cities, 2024-2026). Grade 3/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (UN Tourism (UNWTO) & European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), 2023). Grade 2/4.
• Travel advisory: 1 stricter of the US and Canadian government advisory for the country, 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel) (country figure) (US State Department and Government of Canada travel advisories, 2026-09-29). At or below 1: grade 4/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) / Greek Law 5073/2023 & Law 5162/2024, 2024-2026). Grade 3/4.

Where Santa Cruz de Tenerife is stronger

• Nights in the three busiest months: 31.8 % of annual nights (region figure) (ISTAC / Turismo de Tenerife, Encuesta de Alojamientos Turísticos, 2023). Between 30 and 35: grade 3/4.
• Domestic share of nights: 19.6 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Turismo de Tenerife, Balance de la Situación Turística de Tenerife 2025 (ISTAC), 2025). Between 15 and 25: grade 1/4.
• Jobs in tourism industries: 7.1 % of employment in accommodation and food services (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). At or below 8: grade 4/4.
• Income per head: 59,868 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Between 45,000 and 60,000: grade 3/4.
• Economic diversity: 76 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (region figure) (Observatorio Turístico de Canarias (ISTAC), Informe de Sostenibilidad del Turismo en Canarias 2023, 2023). Between 72 and 80: grade 3/4.
• Extreme heat days: 2.6 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.
• Wildfire and storm 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) (Cabildo de Tenerife, Plenary Statement by President Rosa Dávila, 2026). Between 85 and 95: grade 3/4.
• Tourism intensity: 2.9 visitor nights per resident per year (INE (Encuesta de Ocupación Hotelera por Puntos Turísticos & Cifras Oficiales de Población / Padrón Municipal), 2023). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: -1.1 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Fotocasa (reported by elEconomista), February 2025 – February 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Government effectiveness: 83 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). At or above 80: grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Greece: #21 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Spain: #3 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Athens in full · Santa Cruz de Tenerife in full

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