Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai, Thailand, scores 59 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #157 of 309 destinations. 26 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 70% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: 59
• OECD: 56
• UN Tourism: 63
• UNDRR: 46

Strongest

• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 75.9 % average annual occupancy (region figure) (Chiang Mai Provincial Government (Office of Tourism and Sports Chiang Mai), Meeting of Heads of Government Agencies of Chiang Mai Province, February 2025, 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Domestic share of nights: 72.6 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Ministry of Tourism and Sports (Thailand) / Chiang Mai University Multi-Disciplinary Research Institute (CTRD), 2023). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Green space: 93.4 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (region figure) (Discover Sustainability (Springer Nature) - Wiwat Pongruengkiat et al., 2021). At or above 40: grade 4/4.

Weakest

• Wastewater safely treated: 25 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (World Health Organization (WHO) / UN-Water SDG 6.3.1 Database, 2022). Below 50: grade 0/4.
• Tropical nights: 265.6 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.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A promotion budget that depends each year on the general budget (The Straits Times, 'Thailand proposes $17 fee to fund tourism upgrade', 2026). Grade 1/4.

Thailand in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

Thailand is #38 of 110 countries (4.35 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 61 on the CIRA Index; Chiang Mai is 2 below that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 79

• Nights in the three busiest months: 29.7 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2024, 2025 moving average). At or below 30: grade 4/4. Source
• Domestic share of nights: 72.6 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Ministry of Tourism and Sports (Thailand) / Chiang Mai University Multi-Disciplinary Research Institute (CTRD), 2023). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 30.8 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) & Ministry of Tourism and Sports, 2025). Between 30 and 40: grade 1/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: 103.7 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (region figure) (Chiang Mai Provincial Tourism and Sports Office / Ministry of Tourism and Sports (Thailand), 2024). Between 100 and 110: grade 3/4. Source
• Average length of stay: 2.8 nights per visitor (region figure) (Chiang Mai Provincial Government (Office of Tourism and Sports Chiang Mai), Meeting of Heads of Government Agencies of Chiang Mai Province, February 2025, 2024). Between 2.8 and 3.5: grade 3/4. Source
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 75.9 % average annual occupancy (region figure) (Chiang Mai Provincial Government (Office of Tourism and Sports Chiang Mai), Meeting of Heads of Government Agencies of Chiang Mai Province, February 2025, 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 50

• Jobs in tourism industries: 19.9 % 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 16 and 22: grade 1/4. Source
• Unemployment rate: 1 % of the labour force (country figure) (National Statistical Office of Thailand (NSO), Important Statistics and Indicators, Q2 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
• Income per head: 26,250 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Between 15,000 and 30,000: grade 1/4. Source
• Economic diversity: not measured yet

Climate and hazards: 25

• Extreme heat days: 39 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 30 and 60: grade 1/4. Source
• Tropical nights: 265.6 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: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
• Country disaster risk: 4.9 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 3.5 and 5: grade 2/4. Source

Water and environment: 63

• Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4. Source
• Wastewater safely treated: 25 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (World Health Organization (WHO) / UN-Water SDG 6.3.1 Database, 2022). Below 50: grade 0/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 401.5 kg per resident per year (region figure) (Chiang Mai Provincial Administrative Organization via EXRI ASIA, 2024). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4. Source
• Green space: 93.4 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (region figure) (Discover Sustainability (Springer Nature) - Wiwat Pongruengkiat et al., 2021). At or above 40: grade 4/4. Source

Community and housing: 88

• Tourism intensity: 6.3 visitor nights per resident per year (region figure) (Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports & National Statistical Office of Thailand, 2024). Between 5 and 10: grade 3/4. Source
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: 0.3 % change in rents over the last 12 months (country figure) (Global Property Guide / Bank of Thailand, Thailand Rent Price Index, 2025 Q2 to 2026 Q2). At or below 3: grade 4/4. Source
• Short-let density: not measured yet
• Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 50

• Access redundancy: 2 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Secret Flying & The Longest Way Home, Chiang Mai Transport & Airport Guides, 2026). Between 2 and 3: grade 2/4. 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 (CityNews Chiang Mai, 'Chiang Mai launches CMFlood system to bolster urban flood early warning', 2026). Grade 3/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), 'TAT activates Tourism Crisis Monitoring Centre in response to Middle East tensions', 2026). Grade 1/4. Source
• Government effectiveness: 59.9 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). Between 40 and 60: grade 2/4. 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 (The Straits Times, 'Thailand proposes $17 fee to fund tourism upgrade', 2026). Grade 1/4. Source

Compare Chiang Mai

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