Cotonou

Cotonou, Benin, scores 55 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #208 of 309 destinations. 23 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: 55
• OECD: 48
• UN Tourism: 50
• UNDRR: 37

Strongest

• Average length of stay: 8 nights per visitor (AirROI, Cotonou, Littoral Airbnb Data 2026: Occupancy, Revenue & STR Market Report, August 2025–July 2026). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Extreme heat days: 0.2 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.
• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.

Weakest

• Wastewater safely treated: 2.3 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (UN-Water / WHO / UN-Habitat, Progress on the proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated (SDG 6.3.1), 2022). Below 50: grade 0/4.
• Income per head: 4,817 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Below 15,000: grade 0/4.
• Green space: 0.1 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (European Scientific Journal (Amontcha et al., 'Typologie Et Répartition Des Espaces Verts Publics Dans Le Grand Nokoué (Sud Bénin)'), 2017). Below 10: grade 0/4.

Benin in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

Benin is #106 of 110 countries (3.13 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 50 on the CIRA Index; Cotonou is 5 above that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 56

• Nights in the three busiest months: 48.6 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2019, 2020 moving average). Between 40 and 50: grade 1/4. Source
• Domestic share of nights: 61.7 % of nights by residents of the same country (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 above 45: grade 4/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: not measured yet
• Recovery against 2019: not measured yet
• Average length of stay: 8 nights per visitor (AirROI, Cotonou, Littoral Airbnb Data 2026: Occupancy, Revenue & STR Market Report, August 2025–July 2026). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 31.3 % average annual occupancy (AirROI, Cotonou, Littoral Airbnb Data 2026: Occupancy, Revenue & STR Market Report, August 2025–July 2026). Below 45: grade 0/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 67

• Jobs in tourism industries: 3.4 % 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: 4.6 % of the labour force (INSAE (now INStaD) via Matin Libre, Enquête Régionale Intégrée sur l'Emploi et le Secteur Informel (ERI-ESI), 2018). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
• Income per head: 4,817 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Below 15,000: grade 0/4. Source
• Economic diversity: not measured yet

Climate and hazards: 40

• Extreme heat days: 0.2 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. Source
• Tropical nights: 365.2 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: 6.1 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: 38

• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4. Source
• Wastewater safely treated: 2.3 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (UN-Water / WHO / UN-Habitat, Progress on the proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated (SDG 6.3.1), 2022). Below 50: grade 0/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 531.8 kg per resident per year (World Bank, What a Waste 3.0 via WasteSpot, 2021). Between 450 and 550: grade 2/4. Source
• Green space: 0.1 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (European Scientific Journal (Amontcha et al., 'Typologie Et Répartition Des Espaces Verts Publics Dans Le Grand Nokoué (Sud Bénin)'), 2017). Below 10: grade 0/4. Source

Community and housing: 100

• Tourism intensity: not measured yet
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: -0.2 % change in rents over the last 12 months (country figure) (Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie (INStaD) via Trading Economics, August 2025 – August 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4. Source
• Short-let density: not measured yet
• Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 38

• Access redundancy: 1 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (U.S. International Trade Administration & Port Autonome de Cotonou, 2024). Between 1 and 2: grade 1/4. 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: A national system only; no city plan found (Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) & Agence Béninoise de Protection Civile, 2024). Grade 1/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: No tourism crisis or recovery plan found (Ministère du Tourisme, de la Culture et des Arts du Bénin, 2024). Grade 0/4. Source
• Government effectiveness: 40.6 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 dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (République du Bénin, Présidence de la République, 2024). Grade 2/4. Source

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