Bilbao vs Frankfurt
Frankfurt leads Bilbao by 1 points on the CIRA Index, 65 to 64. Bilbao grades better on 8 measures, Frankfurt on 8; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- CIRA Index: Bilbao 64, Frankfurt 65
- OECD: Bilbao 63, Frankfurt 67
- UN Tourism: Bilbao 63, Frankfurt 73
- UNDRR: Bilbao 57, Frankfurt 58
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Bilbao 71, Frankfurt 58
- Economy and jobs: Bilbao 75, Frankfurt 83
- Climate and hazards: Bilbao 65, Frankfurt 65
- Water and environment: Bilbao 63, Frankfurt 81
- Community and housing: Bilbao 69, Frankfurt 69
- Access and continuity: Bilbao 55, Frankfurt 63
Where Bilbao is stronger
- Recovery against 2019: 143.2 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Bilbao Ekintza / Ayuntamiento de Bilbao and Europa Press, 2025). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
- Average length of stay: 2 nights per visitor (Europa Press / Ayuntamiento de Bilbao, 2025). Between 1.8 and 2.2: grade 1/4.
- Hotel bed or room occupancy: 62.1 % average annual occupancy (Europa Press / Ayuntamiento de Bilbao, 2025). Between 55 and 65: grade 2/4.
- 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.
- Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
- Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
- Tourism intensity: 7.8 visitor nights per resident per year (Ayuntamiento de Bilbao (Europa Press) & Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), 2025). Between 5 and 10: grade 3/4.
- Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (ABAO-OLBE & Port of Bilbao (Bilbaoport), 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
Where Frankfurt is stronger
- Unemployment rate: 6.9 % of the labour force (Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Strukturdaten der Agentur für Arbeit Frankfurt am Main, 2025). Between 5 and 8: grade 3/4.
- Income per head: 75,407 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4.
- Extreme heat days: 1.8 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.
- Wastewater safely treated: 99.9 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt & Stadtentwässerung Frankfurt am Main, 2022). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
- Municipal waste per resident: 361.2 kg per resident per year (Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt, Haushaltsabfälle in Hessen 2024, 2024). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4.
- Green space: 52 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Stadt Frankfurt am Main, Bürgeramt, Statistik und Wahlen - frankfurt STATISTIK.PORTAL, 2023). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
- Short-let density: 0.2 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA & Stadt Frankfurt am Main (Bürgeramt, Statistik und Wahlen), 2024–2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.
- Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Tourismus- und Congress GmbH Frankfurt am Main (TCF), 2026). Grade 2/4.
Country context (World Economic Forum)
- Spain: #3 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
- Germany: #6 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
Bilbao in full · Frankfurt in full
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