Benidorm vs Rhodes

Benidorm leads Rhodes by 1 points on the CIRA Index, 51 to 50. Benidorm grades better on 8 measures, Rhodes on 8; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Benidorm 51, Rhodes 50
• OECD: Benidorm 52, Rhodes 49
• UN Tourism: Benidorm 49, Rhodes 52
• UNDRR: Benidorm 55, Rhodes 62

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Benidorm 71, Rhodes 46
• Economy and jobs: Benidorm 67, Rhodes 75
• Climate and hazards: Benidorm 45, Rhodes 35
• Water and environment: Benidorm 38, Rhodes 38
• Community and housing: Benidorm 25, Rhodes 25
• Access and continuity: Benidorm 58, Rhodes 79

Where Benidorm 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: 32.2 % of nights by residents of the same country (Visit Benidorm / Ayuntamiento de Benidorm, Informe Anual de Turismo presentado en FITUR 2026, 2025). Between 25 and 35: grade 2/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 82.2 % average annual occupancy (Fundación Visit Benidorm / HOSBEC, 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• 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.
• Extreme heat days: 2.4 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.
• Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Ayuntamiento de Benidorm & Generalitat Valenciana (EPSAR), 2024). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: 5.4 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Idealista, September 2026). Between 3 and 6: grade 3/4.
• 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.

Where Rhodes is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 26.8 % of international arrivals or nights (Fraport Greece, Rhodes Airport 'Diagoras' - Traffic Report by Country, 2025). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Unemployment rate: 7.1 % of the labour force (region figure) (Eurostat / EURES (Labour Market Information: Greece, dataset lfst_r_lfu3rt), 2023). Between 5 and 8: grade 3/4.
• Income per head: 45,264 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Between 45,000 and 60,000: grade 3/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 519 kg per resident per year (country figure) (European Environment Agency (EEA) / Eurostat, 2022). Between 450 and 550: grade 2/4.
• Access redundancy: 2 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Fraport Greece & Municipality of Rhodes, 2024). Between 2 and 3: grade 2/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan tested in an exercise or a real event, with lessons published (Greek Ministry of Tourism / Gov.gr, 2023–2024). Grade 4/4.
• 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 Ministry of Economy and Finance, 2024–2026). Grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

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

Benidorm in full · Rhodes in full

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