Barcelona vs Madrid

Madrid leads Barcelona by 6 points on the CIRA Index, 71 to 65. Barcelona grades better on 7 measures, Madrid on 12; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Barcelona 65, Madrid 71
• OECD: Barcelona 65, Madrid 72
• UN Tourism: Barcelona 66, Madrid 75
• UNDRR: Barcelona 70, Madrid 68

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Barcelona 71, Madrid 75
• Economy and jobs: Barcelona 58, Madrid 81
• Climate and hazards: Barcelona 60, Madrid 50
• Water and environment: Barcelona 69, Madrid 75
• Community and housing: Barcelona 45, Madrid 75
• Access and continuity: Barcelona 75, Madrid 75

Where Barcelona is stronger

• Average length of stay: 2.6 nights per visitor (Observatori del Turisme a Barcelona: ciutat i regió (OTB) / UN Tourism INSTO, 2023 Progress Report, 2023). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 80.1 % average annual occupancy (Gremi d'Hotels de Barcelona, Valoració tancament any 2025 i perspectives 2026, 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Extreme heat days: 1 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.
• Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Green space: 35 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (European Environment Agency (EEA) / Climate-ADAPT, 2024). Between 30 and 40: grade 3/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Port de Barcelona / Aena / Renfe / Mitma, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Generalitat de Catalunya / Ajuntament de Barcelona (Llei 2/2026; Fons de Foment del Turisme), 2026). Grade 3/4.

Where Madrid is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 37 % of nights by residents of the same country (Ayuntamiento de Madrid / INE, 2024). Between 35 and 45: grade 3/4.
• Unemployment rate: 7.7 % of the labour force (Ayuntamiento de Madrid, “La ciudad de Madrid inicia 2026 con una tasa de paro del 7,7 % y 24.500 desempleados menos que hace un año”, Q1 2026). Between 5 and 8: grade 3/4.
• Economic diversity: 76.9 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (CEIM / Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Estudio de la economía de la ciudad de Madrid, sectores principales y emergentes, 2022). Between 72 and 80: grade 3/4.
• Tropical nights: 45.2 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 30 and 60: grade 2/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Carta de Servicios de Gestión del Agua 2026 [web:65], 2025). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 338 kg per resident per year (Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Carta de Servicios de Recogida y Tratamiento de Residuos, 2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Tourism intensity: 6.8 visitor nights per resident per year (Ayuntamiento de Madrid & INE, 2024). Between 5 and 10: grade 3/4.
• Rent growth: 5.1 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Idealista, 'Evolución del precio de la vivienda en alquiler en Madrid', August 2025 – August 2026). Between 3 and 6: grade 3/4.
• Short-let density: 0.8 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), 'Medición del número de viviendas turísticas en España y su capacidad', November 2025). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4.
• Rail share of intercity access: 36.4 % 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: 37.2 % of airport passengers carried by the largest airline group (Aena, detailed traffic statistics (passengers by airline, route and country), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026). Between 30 and 40: grade 2/4.
• Air route concentration: 26.6 % 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). At or below 35: 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

Barcelona in full · Madrid in full

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