Santiago de Compostela vs Valencia

Santiago de Compostela and Valencia are level on the CIRA Index at 67. Santiago de Compostela grades better on 8 measures, Valencia on 12; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Santiago de Compostela 67, Valencia 67
• OECD: Santiago de Compostela 65, Valencia 67
• UN Tourism: Santiago de Compostela 70, Valencia 68
• UNDRR: Santiago de Compostela 52, Valencia 69

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Santiago de Compostela 75, Valencia 75
• Economy and jobs: Santiago de Compostela 83, Valencia 67
• Climate and hazards: Santiago de Compostela 65, Valencia 60
• Water and environment: Santiago de Compostela 75, Valencia 69
• Community and housing: Santiago de Compostela 69, Valencia 55
• Access and continuity: Santiago de Compostela 52, Valencia 73

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.
• Largest foreign market: 11.7 % 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: 8 % of the labour force (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Indicadores Urbanos (Edición 2024), 2023). Between 5 and 8: grade 3/4.
• 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.
• 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.
• Resident support for tourism: 90 % of residents who say tourism benefits them or the city (region figure) (Xunta de Galicia - Axencia Turismo de Galicia, Enquisa de Residentes, 2023). At or above 70: 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.

Where Valencia is stronger

• 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.
• Flood hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 99.9 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (region figure) (EPSAR (Entidad Pública de Saneamiento de Aguas Residuales de la Comunitat Valenciana) - Memoria de Gestión, 2024). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Tourism intensity: 7.1 visitor nights per resident per year (Fundación Visit València and Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), 2025). Between 5 and 10: grade 3/4.
• Short-let density: 0.8 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (region figure) (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Estadística experimental: Medición del número de viviendas turísticas en España y su capacidad (via EpData / Europa Press / Brains Real Estate), May 2026). Between 0.5 and 1: 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.
• Air traffic recovery: 142.1 % 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: 39.4 % 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: 43.7 % of airport passengers carried by the largest airline group (Aena, detailed traffic statistics (passengers by airline, route and country), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026). Between 40 and 55: grade 1/4.
• Air route concentration: 45.4 % 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, tested plan that names visitors and tourism operators, with warnings in several languages (Ayuntamiento de Valencia / Valencia Plaza, July 2026). Grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Forbes, 2024-2025). Grade 1/4.

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

Santiago de Compostela in full · Valencia in full

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