Chennai

Chennai, India, scores 55 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #208 of 309 destinations. 31 of 33 measures come from public sources, with 80% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

CIRA Index: 55
OECD: 54
UN Tourism: 58
UNDRR: 41

Strongest

Domestic share of nights: 98.5 % of nights by residents of the same country (Department of Tourism, Government of Tamil Nadu, Monthly Tourism Statistics, November 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
Unemployment rate: 4.4 % of the labour force (National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India, Labour Market Dynamics in Million-plus Cities (based on Periodic Labour Force Surve, 2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
Short-let density: 0.2 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA Chennai Market Report & Census of India, August 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.

Weakest

Largest airline group share: 64 % of airport passengers carried by the largest airline group (country figure) (DGCA domestic traffic statistics (via india-aviation-traffic, ODbL), Jul 2025 – Jun 2026). Above 55: grade 0/4.
Income per head: 11,748 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Below 15,000: grade 0/4.
Green space: 5 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Forest Survey of India, India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021 (reported via The Times of India), 2021). Below 10: grade 0/4.

India in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

India is #31 of 110 countries (4.42 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 62 on the CIRA Index; Chennai is 7 below that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 71

Nights in the three busiest months: 32 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2024, 2025 moving average). Between 30 and 35: grade 3/4. Source
Domestic share of nights: 98.5 % of nights by residents of the same country (Department of Tourism, Government of Tamil Nadu, Monthly Tourism Statistics, November 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
Largest foreign market: 18.1 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, India Tourism Data Compendium 2025, 2024). Between 15 and 20: grade 3/4. Source
Recovery against 2019: 72.7 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (region figure) (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India (Lok Sabha Starred Question No. *118 answered on 27.07.2026), 2025). Below 80: grade 0/4. Source
Average length of stay: 18.1 nights per visitor (country figure) (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, India Tourism Data Compendium / India Tourism Data Portal, 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
Hotel bed or room occupancy: 69.1 % average annual occupancy (Horwath HTL, India Hotel Market Review 2023, 2023). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 63

Jobs in tourism industries: 6.1 % 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). At or below 8: grade 4/4. Source
Unemployment rate: 4.4 % of the labour force (National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India, Labour Market Dynamics in Million-plus Cities (based on Periodic Labour Force Surve, 2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
Income per head: 11,748 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Below 15,000: grade 0/4. Source
Economic diversity: 65.6 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (country figure) (Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Annual Report 2025, 2025). Between 64 and 72: grade 2/4. Source

Climate and hazards: 20

Extreme heat days: 65.4 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: 360.8 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: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4. Source
Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
Country disaster risk: 5.2 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 5 and 6.5: grade 1/4. Source

Water and environment: 50

Water scarcity: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
Wastewater safely treated: 88.2 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (metro figure) (DT Next / Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), 2024). Between 85 and 95: grade 3/4. Source
Municipal waste per resident: 259.2 kg per resident per year (Department of Environment, Government of Tamil Nadu (ENVIS) / National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), 2022). At or below 350: grade 4/4. Source
Green space: 5 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Forest Survey of India, India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021 (reported via The Times of India), 2021). Below 10: grade 0/4. Source

Community and housing: 75

Tourism intensity: not measured yet
Cruise pressure: not measured yet
Rent growth: 8 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Knight Frank, India Real Estate (Jan-March 2026), Q1 2026). Between 6 and 10: grade 2/4. Source
Short-let density: 0.2 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA Chennai Market Report & Census of India, August 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4. Source
Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 55

Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Chennai Port Authority / Southern Railway / AAI / NHAI, 2024–2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4. Source
Air traffic recovery: 95 % of the same 12 months of 2019, airport passengers (DGCA traffic statistics (via india-aviation-traffic, ODbL), TTM Jul 2025 – Jun 2026). Between 90 and 100: grade 2/4. Source
Rail share of intercity access: 73.3 % of intercity passengers travelling by long-distance rail (rail vs rail + airport) (Indian Railways (station categorisation, zonal railways, Year Book) and DGCA, 2023-24). At or above 50: grade 4/4. Source
Rail traffic recovery: not measured yet
Largest airline group share: 64 % of airport passengers carried by the largest airline group (country figure) (DGCA domestic traffic statistics (via india-aviation-traffic, ODbL), Jul 2025 – Jun 2026). Above 55: grade 0/4. Source
Air route concentration: 57.2 % of international air passengers on routes to the 3 largest partner countries (DGCA traffic statistics (via india-aviation-traffic, ODbL), TTM Jul 2025 – Jun 2026). Between 50 and 65: grade 2/4. Source
Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), 2023–2025). Grade 3/4. Source
Tourism crisis and recovery plan: No tourism crisis or recovery plan found (Tamil Nadu Tourism Department, 2023–2026). Grade 0/4. Source
Government effectiveness: 67.5 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). Between 60 and 80: grade 3/4. Source
Travel advisory: 2 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 1 and 2: grade 3/4. Source
Dedicated tourism funding: A promotion budget that depends each year on the general budget (Government of Tamil Nadu, Finance Department / Tourism Department, 2025–2026). Grade 1/4. Source

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