Madrid vs Santiago de Compostela

Madrid leads Santiago de Compostela by 4 points on the CIRA Index, 71 to 67. Madrid grades better on 13 measures, Santiago de Compostela on 6; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Madrid 71, Santiago de Compostela 67
• OECD: Madrid 72, Santiago de Compostela 65
• UN Tourism: Madrid 75, Santiago de Compostela 70
• UNDRR: Madrid 68, Santiago de Compostela 52

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Madrid 75, Santiago de Compostela 75
• Economy and jobs: Madrid 81, Santiago de Compostela 83
• Climate and hazards: Madrid 50, Santiago de Compostela 65
• Water and environment: Madrid 75, Santiago de Compostela 75
• Community and housing: Madrid 75, Santiago de Compostela 69
• Access and continuity: Madrid 75, Santiago de Compostela 52

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.
• Average length of stay: 2.1 nights per visitor (Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Área Delegada de Turismo, 2025). Between 1.8 and 2.2: grade 1/4.
• Flood hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• 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.
• 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.
• Air traffic recovery: 115 % of the same 12 months of 2019, airport passengers (Eurostat avia_paoa, 2025-04–2026-03). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Rail share of intercity access: 36.4 % 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.
• Largest airline group share: 37.2 % 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.
• Air route concentration: 26.6 % 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). At or below 35: grade 4/4.
• 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.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Plan Estratégico de Turismo 2020–2023 (COVID recovery) and Plan Estratégico de Turismo 2024–2027, 2025). Grade 2/4.

Where Santiago de Compostela is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 47.6 % of nights by residents of the same country (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) via Concello de Santiago / GaliciaXa, Jan–Jun 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 76.6 % average annual occupancy (INE via EpData, August 2026). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Extreme heat days: 1.4 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: 1.4 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.
• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (El Correo Gallego / Concello de Santiago, 'El TSXG avala la tasa turística de Santiago y rechaza todos los argumentos de los hoteleros', 2025–2026). 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

Madrid in full · Santiago de Compostela in full

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