Málaga vs San Sebastián

Málaga leads San Sebastián by 2 points on the TRAIL Index, 66 to 64. Málaga grades better on 10 measures, San Sebastián on 10; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Málaga 66, San Sebastián 64
• OECD: Málaga 65, San Sebastián 61
• UN Tourism: Málaga 69, San Sebastián 67
• UNDRR: Málaga 64, San Sebastián 56

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Málaga 75, San Sebastián 58
• Economy and jobs: Málaga 63, San Sebastián 83
• Climate and hazards: Málaga 45, San Sebastián 60
• Water and environment: Málaga 63, San Sebastián 75
• Community and housing: Málaga 65, San Sebastián 65
• Access and continuity: Málaga 73, San Sebastián 53

Where Málaga is stronger

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Where San Sebastián is stronger

• Unemployment rate: 6.3 % of the labour force (Fomento de San Sebastián / Eustat, Barómetro Económico 2024, 2024). Between 5 and 8: grade 3/4.
• Extreme heat days: 1.6 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Tropical nights: 12.2 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.
• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Green space: 20.3 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Fundación Cristina Enea (Observatorio de Sostenibilidad y Clima de Donostia / San Sebastián), Informe Anual de Sostenibilidad y Clima de Donostia / San Sebastián 2025, 2025). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Cruise pressure: 0 cruise passengers in the busiest month per resident (Puertos del Estado, monthly port traffic summaries ("Cuadros resumen", cruise passengers incl. home port and transit), 2025-06). At or below 0: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: -4.8 % change in rents over the last 12 months (idealista, August 2025 – August 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 1.5 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Ayuntamiento de Donostia / San Sebastián - Open Data & Censo de viviendas INE 2021, 2023). Between 1 and 2: grade 2/4.
• Rail share of intercity access: 34.1 % 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 20 and 35: grade 2/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Noticias de Gipuzkoa / Ayuntamiento de Donostia, 'Donostia empezará a cobrar el Impuesto Turístico desde el 1 de enero', 2026). Grade 2/4.

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

Málaga in full · San Sebastián in full

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