Damascus

Damascus, Syria, scores 26 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #302 of 309 destinations. 19 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 52% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: 26
• OECD: 28
• UN Tourism: 36
• UNDRR: 22

Strongest

• Domestic share of nights: 77.5 % of nights by residents of the same country (country figure) (Central Bureau of Statistics Syria via Victoria University Research Repository, 2016). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 219 kg per resident per year (country figure) (Hemidat et al. / Academic Review of Solid Waste Management Status in Middle East Arab Countries, 2021). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 2 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Wikipedia - Transport in Syria / Construction Briefing, 2025–2026). Between 2 and 3: grade 2/4.

Weakest

• Wastewater safely treated: 46 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (ReWater MENA / IWMI, 'Expanding water reuse in the Middle East and North Africa: Policy report' (SDG Indicator 6.3.1), 2020). Below 50: grade 0/4.
• Income per head: 4,905 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2022). Below 15,000: grade 0/4.
• Travel advisory: 4 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). Above 3: grade 0/4.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 50

• Nights in the three busiest months: not measured yet
• Domestic share of nights: 77.5 % of nights by residents of the same country (country figure) (Central Bureau of Statistics Syria via Victoria University Research Repository, 2016). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 45.5 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Arab News / Syria Ministry of Tourism / Directorate of Immigration and Passports, Jan–Nov 2025). Above 40: grade 0/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: not measured yet
• Average length of stay: not measured yet
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: not measured yet

Economy and jobs: 13

• Jobs in tourism industries: not measured yet
• Unemployment rate: 13.6 % of the labour force (country figure) (Trading Economics / ILOSTAT, 2025). Between 12 and 18: grade 1/4. Source
• Income per head: 4,905 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2022). Below 15,000: grade 0/4. Source
• Economic diversity: not measured yet

Climate and hazards: 20

• Extreme heat days: 97.8 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: 74.4 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 60 and 100: grade 1/4. 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: 7.6 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Above 6.5: grade 0/4. Source

Water and environment: 42

• Water scarcity: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
• Wastewater safely treated: 46 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (ReWater MENA / IWMI, 'Expanding water reuse in the Middle East and North Africa: Policy report' (SDG Indicator 6.3.1), 2020). Below 50: grade 0/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 219 kg per resident per year (country figure) (Hemidat et al. / Academic Review of Solid Waste Management Status in Middle East Arab Countries, 2021). At or below 350: grade 4/4. Source
• Green space: not measured yet

Community and housing: 0

• Tourism intensity: not measured yet
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: 66 % change in rents over the last 12 months (country figure) (Syrian Center for Policy Research (cited in Tehran Times), May 2025–May 2026). Above 15: grade 0/4. Source
• Short-let density: not measured yet
• Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 21

• Access redundancy: 2 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Wikipedia - Transport in Syria / Construction Briefing, 2025–2026). 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: A national system only; no city plan found (ReliefWeb / United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), September 2026). Grade 1/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Arabian Business / Al Arabiya English, 2026). Grade 1/4. Source
• Government effectiveness: 4.2 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). Below 20: grade 0/4. Source
• Travel advisory: 4 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). Above 3: grade 0/4. Source
• Dedicated tourism funding: A promotion budget that depends each year on the general budget (Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), 2026). Grade 1/4. Source

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