George Town

George Town, Malaysia, scores 71 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #40 of 309 destinations. 26 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: 71
• OECD: 70
• UN Tourism: 77
• UNDRR: 69

Strongest

• Extreme heat days: 0.8 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: 47.3 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Penang Island City Council (MBPP) / The Vibes, 2024). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
• Domestic share of nights: 60.4 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Penang State Government / Tourism Malaysia, via InfoTourism Malaysia, 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4.

Weakest

• 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.
• Jobs in tourism industries: 21.6 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Tourism Satellite Account 2024, 2024). Between 16 and 22: grade 1/4.
• Flood hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4.

Malaysia in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

Malaysia is #26 of 110 countries (4.5 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 63 on the CIRA Index; George Town is 8 above that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 71

• 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: 60.4 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Penang State Government / Tourism Malaysia, via InfoTourism Malaysia, 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 37.9 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Penang State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee / Immigration Department of Malaysia (Penang branch), via Buletin Mutiara, 2024). Between 30 and 40: grade 1/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: 115.9 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (region figure) (Penang State Government / Tourism Malaysia, cited in State of Penang Tourism 2026 and Focus Malaysia, 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4. Source
• Average length of stay: 2.5 nights per visitor (region figure) (Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Domestic Tourism Survey (States) 2024, 2024). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4. Source
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 62.6 % average annual occupancy (region figure) (Tourism Malaysia / Penang State Government, 2024). Between 55 and 65: grade 2/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 67

• Jobs in tourism industries: 21.6 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Tourism Satellite Account 2024, 2024). Between 16 and 22: grade 1/4. Source
• Unemployment rate: 2 % of the labour force (region figure) (Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Annual Statistics of the Labour Force, Malaysia, 2024, 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
• Income per head: 55,891 GDP per capita, USD PPP (region figure) (Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by State, 2024 & World Bank International Comparison Program, 2024). Between 45,000 and 60,000: grade 3/4. Source
• Economic diversity: not measured yet

Climate and hazards: 55

• Extreme heat days: 0.8 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: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
• Wildfire and storm hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4. Source
• Country disaster risk: 3.2 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 2 and 3.5: grade 3/4. Source

Water and environment: 88

• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4. Source
• Wastewater safely treated: 90.6 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (United Nations in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam, Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, 2024). Between 85 and 95: grade 3/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 368.7 kg per resident per year (Buletin Mutiara (Penang State Government), 2024). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4. Source
• Green space: 47.3 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Penang Island City Council (MBPP) / The Vibes, 2024). At or above 40: grade 4/4. Source

Community and housing: 75

• Tourism intensity: 4.6 visitor nights per resident per year (region figure) (Penang State Government / Tourism Malaysia & Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: not measured yet
• Short-let density: 1.9 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA and Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), 2024). Between 1 and 2: grade 2/4. Source
• Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 75

• Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (metro figure) (Penang Port Commission & Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, 2024). 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 (The Star, 2024). Grade 3/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Penang State Government / George Town World Heritage Incorporated, 2021-2030). Grade 3/4. Source
• Government effectiveness: 79.2 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: 1 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). At or below 1: grade 4/4. Source
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Free Malaysia Today / The Straits Times, 2024-2025). Grade 2/4. Source

Compare George Town

• George Town vs Johor Bahru
• George Town vs Kuala Lumpur
• Daegu vs George Town
• George Town vs Nagoya
• George Town vs Shenzhen
• George Town vs Incheon
• George Town vs Kyoto
• George Town vs Taichung
• George Town vs Xi'an

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