Málaga

Málaga, Spain, scores 66 on the TRAIL Index of tourism resilience, #92 of 310 destinations. 32 of 35 measures come from public sources, with 91% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

TRAIL Index: 66
OECD: 65
UN Tourism: 69
UNDRR: 64

Strongest

Nights in the three busiest months: 28.9 % of annual nights (Ayuntamiento de Málaga, Observatorio de Turismo Sostenible (INSTO): Evolución mensual de las pernoctaciones, 2025). At or below 30: grade 4/4.
Hotel bed or room occupancy: 81.2 % average annual occupancy (INE, Encuesta de Ocupación Hotelera, puntos turísticos (monthly, tables 2078 and 2076), 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (EMASA (Empresa Municipal de Aguas de Málaga), Estaciones Depuradoras de Aguas Residuales, 2026). At or above 95: grade 4/4.

Weakest

Tropical nights: 105.2 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Above 100: grade 0/4.
Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4.
Green space: 15.8 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (ISGlobal / The Lancet Planetary Health - 'Cooling cities through urban green infrastructure', 2023). Between 10 and 20: 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; Málaga is 4 below that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 75

Nights in the three busiest months: 28.9 % of annual nights (Ayuntamiento de Málaga, Observatorio de Turismo Sostenible (INSTO): Evolución mensual de las pernoctaciones, 2025). At or below 30: grade 4/4. Source
Domestic share of nights: 26.9 % of nights by residents of the same country (Ayuntamiento de Málaga, Observatorio de Turismo Sostenible (INSTO): Evolución anual de las pernoctaciones, 2025). Between 25 and 35: grade 2/4. Source
Largest foreign market: 17.2 % 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: 147.5 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Ayuntamiento de Málaga, Observatorio de Turismo Sostenible (INSTO): Evolución anual de las pernoctaciones, 2025 vs 2019). At or above 110: grade 4/4. Source
Average length of stay: 2.2 nights per visitor (Área de Turismo y Promoción de la Ciudad del Ayuntamiento de Málaga / INE, 2024). Between 1.8 and 2.2: grade 1/4. Source
Hotel bed or room occupancy: 81.2 % average annual occupancy (INE, Encuesta de Ocupación Hotelera, puntos turísticos (monthly, tables 2078 and 2076), 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 63

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: 17.1 % of the labour force (Instituto de Estadística y Cartografía de Andalucía (IECA), SIMA municipal sheet: Tasa municipal de desempleo, 2025). Between 12 and 18: grade 1/4. Source
Income per head: not measured yet
Economic diversity: not measured yet

Climate and hazards: 45

Extreme heat days: 11 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: 105.2 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Above 100: grade 0/4. 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: 2.7 t CO2e emitted in the municipality per resident per year (city-wide inventory) (Ayuntamiento de Málaga, Observatorio de Turismo Sostenible (INSTO): Emisiones totales CO2e ciudad de Málaga, 2023). Between 2.5 and 4: grade 3/4. Source

Water and environment: 63

Water scarcity: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4. Source
Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (EMASA (Empresa Municipal de Aguas de Málaga), Estaciones Depuradoras de Aguas Residuales, 2026). At or above 95: grade 4/4. Source
Municipal waste per resident: 425.4 kg per resident per year (Ayuntamiento de Málaga, Observatorio de Turismo Sostenible (INSTO): Cantidad de toneladas de Residuos Sólidos Urbanos (RSU) recogidos por habitante y año, 2025). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4. Source
Green space: 15.8 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (ISGlobal / The Lancet Planetary Health - 'Cooling cities through urban green infrastructure', 2023). Between 10 and 20: grade 1/4. Source
Energy use per resident: 10 MWh of final energy consumed in the municipality per resident per year (Ayuntamiento de Málaga, Observatorio de Turismo Sostenible (INSTO): Consumo energético final por habitante en MWH, 2023). Between 8 and 12: grade 3/4. Source

Community and housing: 65

Tourism intensity: 8.4 visitor nights per resident per year (Ayuntamiento de Málaga, Observatorio de Turismo Sostenible (INSTO): Evolución anual de las pernoctaciones, 2025). Between 5 and 10: grade 3/4. Source
Cruise pressure: 0.2 cruise passengers in the busiest month per resident (Puertos del Estado, monthly port traffic summaries ("Cuadros resumen", cruise passengers incl. home port and transit), 2025-10). Between 0.1 and 0.3: grade 2/4. Source
Rent growth: 4.7 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Idealista, 'Rental property report', 2025). Between 3 and 6: grade 3/4. Source
Short-let density: 3.2 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística), 'Medición del número de viviendas turísticas en España y su capacidad', May 2026). Between 2 and 4: grade 1/4. Source
Resident support for tourism: 79.7 % of residents who say tourism benefits them or the city (Ayuntamiento de Málaga, Observatorio de Turismo Sostenible (INSTO): Opinión de los residentes sobre el turismo, 2023). At or above 70: grade 4/4. Source

Access and continuity: 73

Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Ayuntamiento de Málaga - Área de Turismo, Visita Málaga, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4. Source
Air traffic recovery: 137.8 % 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: 13.3 % 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 10 and 20: grade 1/4. Source
Rail traffic recovery: 154.9 % of 2019 long-distance rail passengers, latest year (Ministerio de Transportes, Observatorio del Ferrocarril en España 2024, passengers by city 2019 and 2024, 2024). At or above 120: grade 4/4. Source
Largest airline group share: 32.1 % 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. Source
Air route concentration: 43 % 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. Source
Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Ayuntamiento de Málaga, Área de Seguridad y Protección Civil, 2024–2025). Grade 3/4. Source
Tourism crisis and recovery plan: not measured yet
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 (Diario Sur / Junta de Andalucía, 2025–2026). Grade 1/4. Source

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