Florence vs Heraklion

Florence and Heraklion are level on the TRAIL Index at 60. Florence grades better on 8 measures, Heraklion on 6; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Florence 60, Heraklion 60
• OECD: Florence 59, Heraklion 54
• UN Tourism: Florence 62, Heraklion 64
• UNDRR: Florence 55, Heraklion 60

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Florence 56, Heraklion 38
• Economy and jobs: Florence 92, Heraklion 69
• Climate and hazards: Florence 55, Heraklion 45
• Water and environment: Florence 56, Heraklion 75
• Community and housing: Florence 42, Heraklion 50
• Access and continuity: Florence 63, Heraklion 71

Where Florence is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 17 % of nights by residents of the same country (ISTAT, I flussi turistici – Anno 2024, 2024). Between 15 and 25: grade 1/4.
• Largest foreign market: 29 % of international arrivals or nights (Centro Studi Turistici (CST) Firenze for Comune di Firenze / Federalberghi Firenze, 2025). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 76.3 % average annual occupancy (Italian Hotel Monitor (Trademark Italia) via GuidaViaggi, 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Unemployment rate: 4 % of the labour force (region figure) (IRPET / Istat, Flash Lavoro 63/2025, Q4 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Income per head: 61,826 GDP per capita, USD PPP (metro figure) (OECD Functional Urban Areas (Metropolitan Areas Database), 2021). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4.
• Tropical nights: 28.2 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.
• Wastewater safely treated: 99 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (metro figure) (Publiacqua (Water Utility of Metropolitan Florence), 2022). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Tourism intensity: 25 visitor nights per resident per year (Centro Studi Turistici Firenze / Comune di Firenze, Il mercato turistico delle prime cinque città d'arte italiane, 2023). Between 20 and 40: grade 1/4.

Where Heraklion is stronger

• Average length of stay: 7.7 nights per visitor (region figure) (INSETE Intelligence, 'Ποιος πάει πού; Πόσο μένει; Πόσα ξοδεύει;' (Who goes where? How long do they stay? How much do they spend?), 2025). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Extreme heat days: 8 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.
• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 519 kg per resident per year (country figure) (European Environment Agency (EEA), Country profile waste management – Greece, 2022). Between 450 and 550: grade 2/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Region of Crete Tourism Directorate / Ministry of Tourism, 2024). Grade 1/4.
• 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)

• Italy: #10 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Greece: #21 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Florence in full · Heraklion in full

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