Las Palmas de Gran Canaria vs Málaga

Málaga leads Las Palmas de Gran Canaria by 1 points on the CIRA Index, 59 to 58. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria grades better on 8 measures, Málaga on 9; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 58, Málaga 59
• OECD: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 58, Málaga 60
• UN Tourism: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 52, Málaga 55
• UNDRR: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 52, Málaga 64

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 80, Málaga 75
• Economy and jobs: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 31, Málaga 58
• Climate and hazards: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 60, Málaga 45
• Water and environment: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 42, Málaga 38
• Community and housing: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 55, Málaga 56
• Access and continuity: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 67, Málaga 73

Where Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 56.3 % of nights by residents of the same country (Ayuntamiento de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria / ISTAC (Sistema de Inteligencia del Turismo Sostenible), 2022). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Average length of stay: 3.6 nights per visitor (Ayuntamiento de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria / Turismo LPA (ISTAC), 2024). At or above 3.5: 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.
• Extreme heat days: 0.2 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.
• Wildfire and storm hazard: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Tourism intensity: 3.7 visitor nights per resident per year (Ayuntamiento de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria / ISTAC & Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), 2022). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 1.1 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (INE / ASCAV via Atlántico Hoy, May 2026). Between 1 and 2: grade 2/4.
• Largest airline group share: 19 % of airport passengers carried by the largest airline group (Aena, detailed traffic statistics (passengers by airline, route and country), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026). At or below 20: grade 4/4.

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.
• Largest foreign market: 17.2 % of international arrivals or nights (INE, foreign tourists by municipality and country of residence (mobile-phone positioning, table 52048), 2025). Between 15 and 20: grade 3/4.
• 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.
• 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.
• Cruise pressure: 0.2 cruise passengers in the busiest month per resident (Puertos del Estado, monthly port traffic summaries ("Cuadros resumen", cruise passengers incl. home port and transit), 2025-10). Between 0.1 and 0.3: grade 2/4.
• Rent growth: 4.7 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Idealista, 'Rental property report', 2025). Between 3 and 6: 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 route concentration: 43 % of international air passengers on routes to the 3 largest partner countries (Aena, detailed traffic statistics (passengers by airline, route and country), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026). Between 35 and 50: grade 3/4.

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

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in full · Málaga in full

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