Málaga vs Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Santa Cruz de Tenerife leads Málaga by 3 points on the CIRA Index, 62 to 59. Málaga grades better on 10 measures, Santa Cruz de Tenerife on 10; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Málaga 59, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 62
• OECD: Málaga 60, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 62
• UN Tourism: Málaga 55, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 58
• UNDRR: Málaga 64, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 55

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Málaga 75, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 58
• Economy and jobs: Málaga 58, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 75
• Climate and hazards: Málaga 45, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 65
• Water and environment: Málaga 38, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 50
• Community and housing: Málaga 56, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 60
• Access and continuity: Málaga 73, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 64

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.
• Domestic share of nights: 31.1 % of nights by residents of the same country (Ayuntamiento de Málaga / Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), 2025). Between 25 and 35: grade 2/4.
• 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.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 81.2 % average annual occupancy (Área de Turismo y Promoción de la Ciudad del Ayuntamiento de Málaga / INE, 2023). At or above 75: 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.
• 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.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Ayuntamiento de Málaga, Área de Seguridad y Protección Civil, 2024–2025). Grade 3/4.

Where Santa Cruz de Tenerife is stronger

• Average length of stay: 2.5 nights per visitor (INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística) - Encuesta de Ocupación Hotelera via EpData, August 2024). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4.
• Unemployment rate: 10.7 % of the labour force (INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística) - Encuesta de Población Activa (EPA) via RadarEmpleo / SpainStats, Q1 2026). Between 8 and 12: grade 2/4.
• 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: 2.6 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.
• Tropical nights: 87.8 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 60 and 100: grade 1/4.
• Wildfire and storm hazard: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 86 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (region figure) (Cabildo de Tenerife, Plenary Statement by President Rosa Dávila, 2026). Between 85 and 95: grade 3/4.
• Tourism intensity: 2.9 visitor nights per resident per year (INE (Encuesta de Ocupación Hotelera por Puntos Turísticos & Cifras Oficiales de Población / Padrón Municipal), 2023). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: -1.1 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Fotocasa (reported by elEconomista), February 2025 – February 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Largest airline group share: 18.1 % 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.

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

Málaga in full · Santa Cruz de Tenerife in full

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