Málaga vs Zaragoza

Zaragoza leads Málaga by 5 points on the TRAIL Index, 71 to 66. Málaga grades better on 8 measures, Zaragoza on 7; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Málaga 66, Zaragoza 71
• OECD: Málaga 65, Zaragoza 70
• UN Tourism: Málaga 69, Zaragoza 82
• UNDRR: Málaga 64, Zaragoza 59

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Málaga 75, Zaragoza 67
• Economy and jobs: Málaga 63, Zaragoza 88
• Climate and hazards: Málaga 45, Zaragoza 45
• Water and environment: Málaga 63, Zaragoza 100
• Community and housing: Málaga 65, Zaragoza 75
• Access and continuity: Málaga 73, Zaragoza 70

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Rent growth: 4.7 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Idealista, 'Rental property report', 2025). Between 3 and 6: 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.

Where Zaragoza is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 70 % of nights by residents of the same country (Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza / Universidad de Zaragoza / INE reported via Heraldo de Aragón, 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Tropical nights: 47.4 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.
• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 340 kg per resident per year (Heraldo de Aragón (Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza), 2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Tourism intensity: 3.1 visitor nights per resident per year (Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza / INE, 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 0.3 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (INE via El Diario / Catastro, August 2024). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.
• Rail share of intercity access: 85.6 % 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). At or above 50: 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

Málaga in full · Zaragoza in full

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