Heraklion vs Lisbon
Lisbon leads Heraklion by 1 points on the CIRA Index, 61 to 60. Heraklion grades better on 5 measures, Lisbon on 12; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- CIRA Index: Heraklion 60, Lisbon 61
- OECD: Heraklion 54, Lisbon 62
- UN Tourism: Heraklion 64, Lisbon 56
- UNDRR: Heraklion 60, Lisbon 72
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Heraklion 38, Lisbon 71
- Economy and jobs: Heraklion 69, Lisbon 69
- Climate and hazards: Heraklion 45, Lisbon 75
- Water and environment: Heraklion 75, Lisbon 38
- Community and housing: Heraklion 50, Lisbon 25
- Access and continuity: Heraklion 71, Lisbon 83
Where Heraklion is stronger
- Average length of stay: 7.7 nights per visitor (region figure) (INSETE Intelligence, 'Ποιος πάει πού; Πόσο μένει; Πόσα ξοδεύει;' (Who goes where? How long do they stay? How much do they spend?), 2025). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
- Jobs in tourism industries: 10.9 % 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). Between 8 and 12: grade 3/4.
- Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
- Wastewater safely treated: 92.1 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (United Nations Global SDG Database / WHO / UN-Habitat (Indicator 6.3.1), 2024). Between 85 and 95: grade 3/4.
- Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Municipality of Heraklion & Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, 2024). Grade 3/4.
Where Lisbon is stronger
- Nights in the three busiest months: 30 % of annual nights (region figure) (INE (Statistics Portugal), Estatísticas do Turismo - 2024, 2024). At or below 30: grade 4/4.
- Domestic share of nights: 18 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Estatísticas do Turismo 2024 / Estatística Rápida, 2024). Between 15 and 25: grade 1/4.
- Largest foreign market: 15.9 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Estatísticas do Turismo 2024, 2024). Between 15 and 20: grade 3/4.
- Hotel bed or room occupancy: 75.1 % average annual occupancy (Turismo de Portugal, TravelBI (Taxas de Ocupação Quarto/Cama), 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
- Economic diversity: 78.8 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (metro figure) (Câmara Municipal de Lisboa / Statistics Portugal, Lisboa Economy in Figures 2024, 2022). Between 72 and 80: grade 3/4.
- Tropical nights: 11 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 10 and 30: grade 3/4.
- Flood hazard: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
- Country disaster risk: 1.9 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). At or below 2: grade 4/4.
- Tourism intensity: 27.3 visitor nights per resident per year (Pordata / Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), 2024). Between 20 and 40: grade 1/4.
- Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Câmara Municipal de Lisboa & Portos de Portugal / Infraestruturas de Portugal, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
- Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Turismo de Portugal, 2021–2026). Grade 3/4.
- Government effectiveness: 80.2 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). At or above 80: grade 4/4.
Country context (World Economic Forum)
- Greece: #21 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
- Portugal: #11 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
Heraklion in full · Lisbon in full
The CIRA Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · CIRA Studio · Put your city in the pilot