Durban

Durban, South Africa, scores 66 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #92 of 309 destinations. 25 of 29 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: 66
• OECD: 62
• UN Tourism: 67
• UNDRR: 60

Strongest

• Extreme heat days: 4.6 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.
• Green space: 62 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Husqvarna Urban Green Space Insights (HUGSI), 2024). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
• Domestic share of nights: 93 % of nights by residents of the same country (metro figure) (South African Tourism / Presidential eThekwini Working Group Workstream 4, Jan–May 2026). At or above 45: grade 4/4.

Weakest

• Unemployment rate: 21.2 % of the labour force (metro figure) (Statistics South Africa via eThekwini Municipality / SAnews, Q2 2026). Above 18: grade 0/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 44 % average annual occupancy (Airbtics / Time Out South Africa, 2025). Below 45: grade 0/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 52.4 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (United Nations Statistics Division / WHO / UN-Habitat, SDG Country Profile South Africa (Indicator 6.3.1), 2024). Between 50 and 70: grade 1/4.

South Africa in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

South Africa is #61 of 110 countries (3.99 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 58 on the CIRA Index; Durban is 8 above that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 67

• Nights in the three busiest months: 29 % 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: 93 % of nights by residents of the same country (metro figure) (South African Tourism / Presidential eThekwini Working Group Workstream 4, Jan–May 2026). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 39 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (South African Tourism, Tourism Performance Report January – December 2025, 2025). Between 30 and 40: grade 1/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: 100.6 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (region figure) (South African Tourism, Tourism Performance Report January – December 2025, 2025). Between 100 and 110: grade 3/4. Source
• Average length of stay: 3.8 nights per visitor (metro figure) (eThekwini Municipality, Draft Durban Visitor Marketing Strategy 2022 - 2026, 2021). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 44 % average annual occupancy (Airbtics / Time Out South Africa, 2025). Below 45: grade 0/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 42

• Jobs in tourism industries: 6.4 % 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: 21.2 % of the labour force (metro figure) (Statistics South Africa via eThekwini Municipality / SAnews, Q2 2026). Above 18: grade 0/4. Source
• Income per head: 15,906 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: 50

• Extreme heat days: 4.6 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: 34.2 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 30 and 60: grade 2/4. 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: 75

• Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4. Source
• Wastewater safely treated: 52.4 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (United Nations Statistics Division / WHO / UN-Habitat, SDG Country Profile South Africa (Indicator 6.3.1), 2024). Between 50 and 70: grade 1/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 219 kg per resident per year (metro figure) (eThekwini Municipality Cleansing and Solid Waste (CSW), State of Waste Report for eThekwini Municipality, 2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4. Source
• Green space: 62 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Husqvarna Urban Green Space Insights (HUGSI), 2024). At or above 40: grade 4/4. Source

Community and housing: 75

• Tourism intensity: not measured yet
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: 3.6 % change in rents over the last 12 months (region figure) (PayProp Rental Index (via Real Estate Investor Magazine / Property24), Q2 2025). Between 3 and 6: grade 3/4. Source
• Short-let density: not measured yet
• Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 63

• Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (metro figure) (Airports Company South Africa, Transnet Port Terminals / KwaZulu Cruise Terminal, SANRAL, 2024–2026). Between 3 and 4: grade 3/4. 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 (eThekwini Municipality / International Panel for Deltas, Coastal Areas, and Islands (IPDC), 2024–2026). Grade 3/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (eThekwini Municipality / SAnews, 2025–2026). Grade 3/4. Source
• Government effectiveness: 45.8 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 (eThekwini Municipality / The Mercury, 2025–2026). Grade 1/4. Source

Compare Durban

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• Durban vs Harare

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