Valencia vs Zaragoza
Zaragoza leads Valencia by 3 points on the CIRA Index, 70 to 67. Valencia grades better on 8 measures, Zaragoza on 10; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- CIRA Index: Valencia 67, Zaragoza 70
- OECD: Valencia 67, Zaragoza 70
- UN Tourism: Valencia 68, Zaragoza 80
- UNDRR: Valencia 69, Zaragoza 59
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Valencia 75, Zaragoza 71
- Economy and jobs: Valencia 67, Zaragoza 75
- Climate and hazards: Valencia 60, Zaragoza 45
- Water and environment: Valencia 69, Zaragoza 100
- Community and housing: Valencia 55, Zaragoza 75
- Access and continuity: Valencia 73, Zaragoza 70
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.
- 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.
- Flood hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
- Rent growth: 3.5 % change in rents over the last 12 months (idealista, Informe de precios del alquiler, August 2025 – August 2026). Between 3 and 6: 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.
- Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Forbes, 2024-2025). Grade 1/4.
Where Zaragoza is stronger
- Domestic share of nights: 70 % of nights by residents of the same country (Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza / Universidad de Zaragoza / INE reported via Heraldo de Aragón, 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
- 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: 47.4 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.
- Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). 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.
- Resident support for tourism: 68 % of residents who say tourism benefits them or the city (region figure) (LLYC / elEconomista, Barómetro de Percepción Turística, Q2 2026). Between 60 and 70: grade 3/4.
- 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.
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
Valencia in full · Zaragoza in full
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