Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, scores 60 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #140 of 309 destinations. 26 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 75% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

CIRA Index: 60
OECD: 66
UN Tourism: 64
UNDRR: 56

Travel advisory at level 3 (reconsider or avoid non-essential travel): the CIRA score is capped at 60. Without the cap: 62.

Strongest

Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Abu Dhabi Airports, AD Ports Group, Etihad Rail, Integrated Transport Centre, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
Domestic share of nights: 48.3 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Aletihad Newspaper / Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
Largest foreign market: 12 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi / TTN Worldwide, 2024). At or below 15: grade 4/4.

Weakest

Rent growth: 20 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Cushman & Wakefield Core, Abu Dhabi Annual Market Update 2024/2025, 2024). Above 15: grade 0/4.
Green space: 7 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) / Aletihad, 2024). Below 10: grade 0/4.
Tropical nights: 286 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Above 100: grade 0/4.

United Arab Emirates in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

United Arab Emirates is #22 of 110 countries (4.56 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 63 on the CIRA Index; Abu Dhabi is 3 below that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 95

Nights in the three busiest months: 28.7 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2022, 2023 moving average). At or below 30: grade 4/4. Source
Domestic share of nights: 48.3 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Aletihad Newspaper / Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
Largest foreign market: 12 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi / TTN Worldwide, 2024). At or below 15: grade 4/4. Source
Recovery against 2019: not measured yet
Average length of stay: 3.2 nights per visitor (region figure) (Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), Hotel Performance Report 2024 (reported by Aletihad), 2024). Between 2.8 and 3.5: grade 3/4. Source
Hotel bed or room occupancy: 79 % average annual occupancy (region figure) (Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), Hotel Performance Report 2024 (reported by Aletihad), 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 94

Jobs in tourism industries: 9.1 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Research by World Travel & Tourism Council; Travel & Tourism by World Travel & Tourism Council), 2026). Between 8 and 12: grade 3/4. Source
Unemployment rate: 2.2 % of the labour force (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
Income per head: 79,344 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2024). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4. Source
Economic diversity: 86.2 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (region figure) (Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi (SCAD), Statistical Yearbook of Abu Dhabi 2020, 2019). At or above 80: grade 4/4. Source

Climate and hazards: 35

Extreme heat days: 171.6 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Above 60: grade 0/4. Source
Tropical nights: 286 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Above 100: grade 0/4. Source
Flood hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
Wildfire and storm hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4. Source
Country disaster risk: 2.3 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 2 and 3.5: grade 3/4. Source

Water and environment: 38

Water scarcity: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (region figure) (Emirates News Agency (WAM) / TAQA Water Solutions, 2024). At or above 95: grade 4/4. Source
Municipal waste per resident: 551.2 kg per resident per year (region figure) (Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi (SCAD), Waste Statistics, 2014). Between 550 and 700: grade 1/4. Source
Green space: 7 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) / Aletihad, 2024). Below 10: grade 0/4. Source

Community and housing: 50

Tourism intensity: 4.5 visitor nights per resident per year (region figure) (Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi & Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi (SCAD), 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
Cruise pressure: not measured yet
Rent growth: 20 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Cushman & Wakefield Core, Abu Dhabi Annual Market Update 2024/2025, 2024). Above 15: grade 0/4. Source
Short-let density: not measured yet
Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 67

Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Abu Dhabi Airports, AD Ports Group, Etihad Rail, Integrated Transport Centre, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4. Source
Air traffic recovery: not measured yet
Rail share of intercity access: not measured yet
Rail traffic recovery: not measured yet
Largest airline group share: not measured yet
Air route concentration: not measured yet
Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Emergencies, Crises and Disasters Management Centre - Abu Dhabi (ADCMC) / NCEMA, 2024–2026). Grade 3/4. Source
Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), 2023–2025). Grade 2/4. Source
Government effectiveness: 82.5 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). At or above 80: grade 4/4. Source
Travel advisory: 3 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). Between 2.5 and 3: grade 1/4. Source
Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), 2023–2026). Grade 2/4. Source

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