Barcelona vs Bratislava

Barcelona leads Bratislava by 1 points on the TRAIL Index, 65 to 64. Barcelona grades better on 10 measures, Bratislava on 6; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Barcelona 65, Bratislava 64
• OECD: Barcelona 65, Bratislava 63
• UN Tourism: Barcelona 66, Bratislava 65
• UNDRR: Barcelona 70, Bratislava 66

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Barcelona 71, Bratislava 42
• Economy and jobs: Barcelona 58, Bratislava 92
• Climate and hazards: Barcelona 60, Bratislava 83
• Water and environment: Barcelona 69, Bratislava 58
• Community and housing: Barcelona 45, Bratislava 58
• Access and continuity: Barcelona 75, Bratislava 71

Where Barcelona is stronger

• Nights in the three busiest months: 29.8 % of annual nights (INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística) / Idescat, Encuesta de Ocupación Hotelera, 2024). At or below 30: grade 4/4.
• Largest foreign market: 12 % 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.
• Recovery against 2019: 101.6 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (INE, Encuesta de Ocupación Hotelera, puntos turísticos (monthly, tables 2078 and 2076), 2025 vs 2019). Between 100 and 110: grade 3/4.
• Average length of stay: 2.6 nights per visitor (Observatori del Turisme a Barcelona: ciutat i regió (OTB) / UN Tourism INSTO, 2023 Progress Report, 2023). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 80.1 % average annual occupancy (Gremi d'Hotels de Barcelona, Valoració tancament any 2025 i perspectives 2026, 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 444.3 kg per resident per year (metro figure) (Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB), 2023). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4.
• Rent growth: 9.7 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Generalitat de Catalunya / INCASÒL (Institut Català del Sòl), Q1 2024). Between 6 and 10: grade 2/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (Ajuntament de Barcelona - Àrea d'Economia i Promoció Econòmica, 2024–2026). Grade 2/4.
• 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.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Generalitat de Catalunya / Ajuntament de Barcelona (Llei 2/2026; Fons de Foment del Turisme), 2026). Grade 3/4.

Where Bratislava is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 37.9 % of nights by residents of the same country (Bratislava Tourist Board (BTB) & Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, 2023). Between 35 and 45: grade 3/4.
• Unemployment rate: 2.3 % of the labour force (region figure) (EURES / Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic / Eurostat, 2023). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Tropical nights: 15.2 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 10 and 30: grade 3/4.
• Green space: 50 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index (HUGSI), 2023). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
• Tourism intensity: 4.6 visitor nights per resident per year (Bratislava Tourist Board & Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, 2023). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Travel advisory: 1 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). At or below 1: grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Spain: #3 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Slovakia: #60 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Barcelona in full · Bratislava in full

The TRAIL Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · TRAIL Studio · Put your city in the pilot