Copenhagen vs Madrid

Copenhagen and Madrid are level on the CIRA Index at 71. Copenhagen grades better on 12 measures, Madrid on 6; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Copenhagen 71, Madrid 71
• OECD: Copenhagen 71, Madrid 72
• UN Tourism: Copenhagen 69, Madrid 75
• UNDRR: Copenhagen 73, Madrid 68

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Copenhagen 75, Madrid 75
• Economy and jobs: Copenhagen 100, Madrid 81
• Climate and hazards: Copenhagen 75, Madrid 50
• Water and environment: Copenhagen 56, Madrid 75
• Community and housing: Copenhagen 50, Madrid 75
• Access and continuity: Copenhagen 75, Madrid 75

Where Copenhagen is stronger

• Recovery against 2019: 124.8 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (metro figure) (VisitDenmark, Destinationsmonitor 2024, 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Average length of stay: 2.9 nights per visitor (Wonderful Copenhagen, Status on rail tourism 2025, 2024). Between 2.8 and 3.5: grade 3/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 75 % average annual occupancy (Annordia / Statistics Denmark, Hotel Market Update, 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Unemployment rate: 4.3 % of the labour force (Statistics Denmark, Table AUP01 (Fuldtidsledige i pct. af arbejdsstyrken), July 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Income per head: 83,218 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4.
• Extreme heat days: 0 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.
• Tropical nights: 0.2 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 10: grade 4/4.
• Wildfire and storm hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Country disaster risk: 1.5 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). At or below 2: grade 4/4.
• Green space: 30 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index (HUGSI), 2023). Between 30 and 40: grade 3/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (VisitCopenhagen / Copenhagen Malmö Port, 2024). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Wonderful Copenhagen, 2021). Grade 3/4.

Where Madrid is stronger

• Nights in the three busiest months: 27.7 % of annual nights (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Encuesta de Ocupación Hotelera por Puntos Turísticos, 2024). At or below 30: grade 4/4.
• Largest foreign market: 11.2 % of international arrivals or nights (INE, foreign tourists by municipality and country of residence (mobile-phone positioning, table 52048), 2025). At or below 15: grade 4/4.
• Flood hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• 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.
• 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.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Denmark: #16 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Spain: #3 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Copenhagen in full · Madrid in full

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