Bilbao

Bilbao, Spain, scores 64 on the TRAIL Index of tourism resilience, #107 of 310 destinations. 33 of 35 measures come from public sources, with 86% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

TRAIL Index: 64
OECD: 63
UN Tourism: 63
UNDRR: 57

Strongest

Domestic share of nights: 47.3 % of nights by residents of the same country (Ayuntamiento de Bilbao / Bilbao Ekintza, 'Bilbao destino urbano internacional de referencia con turismo sostenible y equilibrado', Jan–Nov 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
Recovery against 2019: 143.2 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Bilbao Ekintza / Ayuntamiento de Bilbao and Europa Press, 2025). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
Tropical nights: 6.6 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.

Weakest

Tourism crisis and recovery plan: No tourism crisis or recovery plan found (Bilbao Ekintza / Ayuntamiento de Bilbao, 2026). Grade 0/4.
Rail share of intercity access: 3.6 % 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). Below 10: grade 0/4.
Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4.

Spain in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

Spain is #3 of 110 countries (5.22 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 70 on the TRAIL Index; Bilbao is 6 below that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 71

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. Source
Domestic share of nights: 47.3 % of nights by residents of the same country (Ayuntamiento de Bilbao / Bilbao Ekintza, 'Bilbao destino urbano internacional de referencia con turismo sostenible y equilibrado', Jan–Nov 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
Largest foreign market: 16.9 % 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. Source
Recovery against 2019: 143.2 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Bilbao Ekintza / Ayuntamiento de Bilbao and Europa Press, 2025). At or above 110: grade 4/4. Source
Average length of stay: 2 nights per visitor (Europa Press / Ayuntamiento de Bilbao, 2025). Between 1.8 and 2.2: grade 1/4. Source
Hotel bed or room occupancy: 62.1 % average annual occupancy (Europa Press / Ayuntamiento de Bilbao, 2025). Between 55 and 65: grade 2/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 75

Jobs in tourism industries: 7.1 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Research by World Travel & Tourism Council; Travel & Tourism by World Travel & Tourism Council), 2026). At or below 8: grade 4/4. Source
Unemployment rate: 9.6 % of the labour force (Eustat via Deia, 2025). Between 8 and 12: grade 2/4. Source
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. Source
Economic diversity: not measured yet

Climate and hazards: 65

Extreme heat days: 5.2 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 5 and 15: grade 3/4. Source
Tropical nights: 6.6 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. Source
Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4. Source
Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
Country disaster risk: 2.5 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 2 and 3.5: grade 3/4. Source
Greenhouse gas emissions per resident: not measured yet

Water and environment: 63

Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4. Source
Wastewater safely treated: 81.2 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: SDG Indicators Database by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs), 2024). Between 70 and 85: grade 2/4. Source
Municipal waste per resident: 464.3 kg per resident per year (country figure) (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Statistics on the Collection and Treatment of Waste, 2023). Between 450 and 550: grade 2/4. Source
Green space: 28.9 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Ayuntamiento de Bilbao (BioBilbao - Portal Cambio Climático de Bilbao), 2025). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4. Source
Energy use per resident: not measured yet

Community and housing: 69

Tourism intensity: 7.8 visitor nights per resident per year (Ayuntamiento de Bilbao (Europa Press) & Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), 2025). Between 5 and 10: grade 3/4. Source
Cruise pressure: 0.1 cruise passengers in the busiest month per resident (Puertos del Estado, monthly port traffic summaries ("Cuadros resumen", cruise passengers incl. home port and transit), 2025-09). Between 0.1 and 0.3: grade 2/4. Source
Rent growth: 3.2 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Idealista, Valoración de inmuebles en Bilbao, Vizcaya, September 2025 – September 2026). Between 3 and 6: grade 3/4. Source
Short-let density: 0.8 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (INE via Crónica Vasca / Dataestur, May 2026). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4. Source
Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 55

Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (ABAO-OLBE & Port of Bilbao (Bilbaoport), 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4. Source
Air traffic recovery: 121.8 % of the same 12 months of 2019, airport passengers (Eurostat avia_paoa, 2025-04–2026-03). At or above 110: grade 4/4. Source
Rail share of intercity access: 3.6 % 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). Below 10: grade 0/4. Source
Rail traffic recovery: 92.7 % of 2019 long-distance rail passengers, latest year (Ministerio de Transportes, Observatorio del Ferrocarril en España 2024, passengers by city 2019 and 2024, 2024). Between 90 and 100: grade 2/4. Source
Largest airline group share: 52.4 % 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. Source
Air route concentration: 50.2 % 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 50 and 65: grade 2/4. Source
Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Gobierno Vasco - Euskadi.eus, 2021–2026). Grade 3/4. Source
Tourism crisis and recovery plan: No tourism crisis or recovery plan found (Bilbao Ekintza / Ayuntamiento de Bilbao, 2026). Grade 0/4. Source
Government effectiveness: 83 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). At or above 80: grade 4/4. Source
Travel advisory: 2 stricter of the US and Canadian government advisory for the country, 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel) (country figure) (US State Department and Government of Canada travel advisories, 2026-09-29). Between 1 and 2: grade 3/4. Source
Dedicated tourism funding: A promotion budget that depends each year on the general budget (Deia & BookCheckin, 2025–2026). Grade 1/4. Source

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