Marbella vs Palma

Marbella leads Palma by 2 points on the CIRA Index, 56 to 54. Marbella grades better on 9 measures, Palma on 9; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Marbella 56, Palma 54
• OECD: Marbella 56, Palma 53
• UN Tourism: Marbella 54, Palma 51
• UNDRR: Marbella 56, Palma 54

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Marbella 63, Palma 46
• Economy and jobs: Marbella 75, Palma 83
• Climate and hazards: Marbella 50, Palma 55
• Water and environment: Marbella 42, Palma 38
• Community and housing: Marbella 56, Palma 35
• Access and continuity: Marbella 58, Palma 69

Where Marbella is stronger

• Nights in the three busiest months: 33.3 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2024, 2025 moving average). Between 30 and 35: grade 3/4.
• Domestic share of nights: 20.7 % of nights by residents of the same country (Ayuntamiento de Marbella / INE (Encuesta de Ocupación Hotelera), 2024). Between 15 and 25: grade 1/4.
• Largest foreign market: 25.1 % of international arrivals or nights (INE, foreign tourists by municipality and country of residence (mobile-phone positioning, table 52048), 2025). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Extreme heat days: 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.
• Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Tourism intensity: 16.3 visitor nights per resident per year (Ayuntamiento de Marbella / Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), 2024). Between 10 and 20: grade 2/4.
• Rent growth: 2.4 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Idealista, Valoración de inmuebles en Marbella, Málaga, September 2025–September 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Resident support for tourism: 60.3 % of residents who say tourism benefits them or the city (region figure) (Fundación MADECA (Diputación de Málaga), Barómetro de la Provincia 2024, 2024). Between 60 and 70: grade 3/4.
• Air route concentration: 43 % of international air passengers on routes to the 3 largest partner countries (metro figure) (Aena, detailed traffic statistics (passengers by airline, route and country), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026). Between 35 and 50: grade 3/4.

Where Palma is stronger

• Recovery against 2019: 105.8 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (region figure) (IBESTAT & INE, Moviments Turístics / FRONTUR-EGATUR / EOH Balears, 2024). Between 100 and 110: grade 3/4.
• Unemployment rate: 6.1 % of the labour force (region figure) (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Encuesta de Población Activa (EPA), Q2 2026). Between 5 and 8: grade 3/4.
• Tropical nights: 93.2 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.
• Short-let density: 0.5 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Medición del número de viviendas turísticas en España y su capacidad (via Ultima Hora), November 2024). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4.
• Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Aena / Autoritat Portuària de Balears / Consell de Mallorca, 2026). Between 3 and 4: grade 3/4.
• Largest airline group share: 24.6 % of airport passengers carried by the largest airline group (Aena, detailed traffic statistics (passengers by airline, route and country), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026). Between 20 and 30: grade 3/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Fundación Turismo Palma 365, III Plan Estratégico de Turismo de Palma 2023-2027, 2023-2027). Grade 1/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Govern de les Illes Balears, Ley 2/2016 del impuesto sobre estancias turísticas en las Illes Balears y de medidas de impulso del turismo sostenible, 2024-2026). 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

Marbella in full · Palma in full

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