Santiago de Compostela vs Zaragoza

Zaragoza leads Santiago de Compostela by 3 points on the CIRA Index, 70 to 67. Santiago de Compostela grades better on 8 measures, Zaragoza on 9; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Santiago de Compostela 67, Zaragoza 70
• OECD: Santiago de Compostela 65, Zaragoza 70
• UN Tourism: Santiago de Compostela 70, Zaragoza 80
• UNDRR: Santiago de Compostela 52, Zaragoza 59

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Santiago de Compostela 75, Zaragoza 71
• Economy and jobs: Santiago de Compostela 83, Zaragoza 75
• Climate and hazards: Santiago de Compostela 65, Zaragoza 45
• Water and environment: Santiago de Compostela 75, Zaragoza 100
• Community and housing: Santiago de Compostela 69, Zaragoza 75
• Access and continuity: Santiago de Compostela 52, Zaragoza 70

Where Santiago de Compostela is stronger

• 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.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 76.6 % average annual occupancy (INE via EpData, August 2026). At or above 75: 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.
• 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.
• Rent growth: 4.6 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Idealista, 'Evolución del precio de los inmuebles en alquiler en Santiago de Compostela', September 2026). Between 3 and 6: grade 3/4.
• 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 Zaragoza is stronger

• Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 99 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza / Interempresas, 2025). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 340 kg per resident per year (Heraldo de Aragón (Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza), 2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Tourism intensity: 3.1 visitor nights per resident per year (Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza / INE, 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 0.3 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (INE via El Diario / Catastro, August 2024). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.
• Air traffic recovery: 205.7 % 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: 85.6 % 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). At or above 50: grade 4/4.
• Largest airline group share: 35.6 % of airport passengers carried by the largest airline group (Aena, detailed traffic statistics (passengers by airline, route and country), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026). Between 30 and 40: grade 2/4.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza, 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

Santiago de Compostela in full · Zaragoza in full

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