Madrid vs Valencia

Madrid leads Valencia by 4 points on the CIRA Index, 71 to 67. Madrid grades better on 10 measures, Valencia on 7; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Madrid 71, Valencia 67
• OECD: Madrid 72, Valencia 67
• UN Tourism: Madrid 75, Valencia 68
• UNDRR: Madrid 68, Valencia 69

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Madrid 75, Valencia 75
• Economy and jobs: Madrid 81, Valencia 67
• Climate and hazards: Madrid 50, Valencia 60
• Water and environment: Madrid 75, Valencia 69
• Community and housing: Madrid 75, Valencia 55
• Access and continuity: Madrid 75, Valencia 73

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.
• 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.
• Unemployment rate: 7.7 % of the labour force (Ayuntamiento de Madrid, “La ciudad de Madrid inicia 2026 con una tasa de paro del 7,7 % y 24.500 desempleados menos que hace un año”, Q1 2026). Between 5 and 8: grade 3/4.
• Income per head: 59,539 GDP per capita, USD PPP (region figure) (OECD Regional Statistics / Eurostat, 2022). Between 45,000 and 60,000: grade 3/4.
• Tropical nights: 45.2 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 Valencia is stronger

• Recovery against 2019: 115.2 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Fundación Visit València (Estadísticas de Turismo 2019 & Balance Turístico 2024), 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Average length of stay: 2.5 nights per visitor (Fundación Visit València / Ayuntamiento de València (citing INE), 2024). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 78 % average annual occupancy (Fundación Visit València / Ayuntamiento de València (citing INE), 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Extreme heat days: 4.6 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.
• Green space: 36 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (URBAMETRICS, 'Valencia and its Urban Green Space', 2023). Between 30 and 40: grade 3/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Valenciaport, Aena, Renfe, 2024). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated, tested plan that names visitors and tourism operators, with warnings in several languages (Ayuntamiento de Valencia / Valencia Plaza, July 2026). Grade 4/4.

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 · Valencia in full

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