Granada vs Málaga

Málaga leads Granada by 1 points on the CIRA Index, 59 to 58. Granada grades better on 6 measures, Málaga on 7; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Granada 58, Málaga 59
• OECD: Granada 58, Málaga 60
• UN Tourism: Granada 57, Málaga 55
• UNDRR: Granada 57, Málaga 64

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Granada 63, Málaga 75
• Economy and jobs: Granada 67, Málaga 58
• Climate and hazards: Granada 50, Málaga 45
• Water and environment: Granada 50, Málaga 38
• Community and housing: Granada 69, Málaga 56
• Access and continuity: Granada 58, Málaga 73

Where Granada is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 52.4 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Diputación Provincial de Granada / Patronato Provincial de Turismo (based on INE - Encuesta de Ocupación Hotelera), 2024). At or above 45: 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.
• Tropical nights: 58.2 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.
• Flood hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 526.1 kg per resident per year (Ayuntamiento de Granada, Medio Ambiente - Gestión de Residuos, 2024). Between 450 and 550: grade 2/4.
• Rail share of intercity access: 37.9 % 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.

Where Málaga is stronger

• Nights in the three busiest months: 29.1 % of annual nights (Turismo y Planificación Costa del Sol, Balance de la situación del sector turístico en Málaga en 2025, 2025). At or below 30: grade 4/4.
• Recovery against 2019: 129.7 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Área de Turismo del Ayuntamiento de Málaga & UN Tourism STO Málaga / INE Encuesta de Ocupación Hotelera, 2023). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 81.2 % average annual occupancy (Área de Turismo y Promoción de la Ciudad del Ayuntamiento de Málaga / INE, 2023). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Extreme heat days: 11 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 5 and 15: grade 3/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Ayuntamiento de Málaga - Área de Turismo, Visita Málaga, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Air traffic recovery: 137.8 % of the same 12 months of 2019, airport passengers (Eurostat avia_paoa, 2025-04–2026-03). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Largest airline group share: 32.1 % 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.

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

Granada in full · Málaga in full

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