Lisbon vs Madrid

Madrid leads Lisbon by 10 points on the CIRA Index, 71 to 61. Lisbon grades better on 10 measures, Madrid on 10; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Lisbon 61, Madrid 71
• OECD: Lisbon 62, Madrid 72
• UN Tourism: Lisbon 56, Madrid 75
• UNDRR: Lisbon 72, Madrid 68

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Lisbon 71, Madrid 75
• Economy and jobs: Lisbon 69, Madrid 81
• Climate and hazards: Lisbon 75, Madrid 50
• Water and environment: Lisbon 38, Madrid 75
• Community and housing: Lisbon 25, Madrid 75
• Access and continuity: Lisbon 83, Madrid 75

Where Lisbon is stronger

• Average length of stay: 2.3 nights per visitor (region figure) (INE (Statistics Portugal), Estatísticas do Turismo - 2024, 2024). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4.
• 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.
• Extreme heat days: 6.6 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Travel advisory: 1 stricter of the US and Canadian government advisory for the country, 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel) (country figure) (US State Department and Government of Canada travel advisories, 2026-09-29). At or below 1: grade 4/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Diário da República & Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, 2024–2026). Grade 3/4.

Where Madrid is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 37 % of nights by residents of the same country (Ayuntamiento de Madrid / INE, 2024). Between 35 and 45: grade 3/4.
• 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.
• Jobs in tourism industries: 6.5 % of employment in accommodation and food services (region figure) (Comunidad de Madrid, Dirección General del Servicio Público de Empleo (Social Security affiliations), March 2025). At or below 8: grade 4/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Carta de Servicios de Gestión del Agua 2026 [web:65], 2025). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• 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.
• Green space: 28 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index (HUGSI), 2023). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Tourism intensity: 6.8 visitor nights per resident per year (Ayuntamiento de Madrid & INE, 2024). Between 5 and 10: grade 3/4.
• Rent growth: 5.1 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Idealista, 'Evolución del precio de la vivienda en alquiler en Madrid', August 2025 – August 2026). Between 3 and 6: 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.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Plan Territorial de Emergencia Municipal (PEMAM) / CALORMAD, 2024-2026). Grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Portugal: #11 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Spain: #3 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Lisbon in full · Madrid in full

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