Madrid vs Málaga
Madrid leads Málaga by 5 points on the TRAIL Index, 71 to 66. Madrid grades better on 10 measures, Málaga on 4; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- TRAIL Index: Madrid 71, Málaga 66
- OECD: Madrid 72, Málaga 65
- UN Tourism: Madrid 75, Málaga 69
- UNDRR: Madrid 68, Málaga 64
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Madrid 75, Málaga 75
- Economy and jobs: Madrid 81, Málaga 63
- Climate and hazards: Madrid 50, Málaga 45
- Water and environment: Madrid 75, Málaga 63
- Community and housing: Madrid 75, Málaga 65
- Access and continuity: Madrid 75, Málaga 73
Where Madrid is stronger
- Domestic share of nights: 37 % of nights by residents of the same country (Ayuntamiento de Madrid / INE, 2024). Between 35 and 45: grade 3/4.
- Largest foreign market: 11.2 % 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.
- Unemployment rate: 7.7 % of the labour force (Ayuntamiento de Madrid, “La ciudad de Madrid inicia 2026 con una tasa de paro del 7,7 % y 24.500 desempleados menos que hace un año”, Q1 2026). Between 5 and 8: grade 3/4.
- Tropical nights: 45.2 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.
- Flood hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
- Municipal waste per resident: 338 kg per resident per year (Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Carta de Servicios de Recogida y Tratamiento de Residuos, 2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
- Green space: 28 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index (HUGSI), 2023). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
- Short-let density: 0.8 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), 'Medición del número de viviendas turísticas en España y su capacidad', November 2025). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4.
- Rail share of intercity access: 36.4 % 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 35 and 50: grade 3/4.
- Air route concentration: 26.6 % 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). At or below 35: grade 4/4.
Where Málaga is stronger
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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
Madrid in full · Málaga in full
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