Honolulu

Honolulu, United States, scores 65 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #97 of 309 destinations. 28 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 83% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: 65
• OECD: 64
• UN Tourism: 65
• UNDRR: 78

Strongest

• Extreme heat days: 0 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.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated, tested plan that names visitors and tourism operators, with warnings in several languages (City and County of Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, 2025–2026). Grade 4/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source plus a reserve or stabilisation fund for downturns (City and County of Honolulu & State of Hawaii Department of Budget and Finance, 2024–2026). Grade 4/4.

Weakest

• Municipal waste per resident: 1,028 kg per resident per year (metro figure) (City and County of Honolulu Department of Environmental Services, H-POWER Presentation, 2020). Above 700: grade 0/4.
• Tourism intensity: 41 visitor nights per resident per year (metro figure) (Hawaii DBEDT State of Hawaii Data Book 2024 (Table 7.06) & U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 County Population Estimates, 2024). Above 40: grade 0/4.
• Largest foreign market: 41.5 % of international arrivals or nights (metro figure) (Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT), State of Hawaii Data Book 2024, Table 7.03 & Table 7.04, 2024). Above 40: grade 0/4.

United States in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

United States is #2 of 110 countries (5.23 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 70 on the CIRA Index; Honolulu is 5 below that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 71

• Nights in the three busiest months: 28.4 % 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: 75.3 % of nights by residents of the same country (metro figure) (Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), State of Hawaii Data Book 2024, Table 7.06: Average Daily Visitor Census, by County and Island, 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 41.5 % of international arrivals or nights (metro figure) (Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT), State of Hawaii Data Book 2024, Table 7.03 & Table 7.04, 2024). Above 40: grade 0/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: 94.5 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (region figure) (State of Hawaiʻi Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT), Visitor Industry Continued Improvement in December 2024, 2024). Between 90 and 100: grade 2/4. Source
• Average length of stay: 7.1 nights per visitor (metro figure) (State of Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT), Monthly Visitor Statistics / 2024 Annual Visitor Research Report, 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 73.3 % average annual occupancy (region figure) (Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) / STR, Inc., Hawaii Hotel Performance Report, 2024). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 75

• Jobs in tourism industries: 16.2 % of employment in accommodation and food services (metro figure) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, July 2026). Between 16 and 22: grade 1/4. Source
• Unemployment rate: 2.8 % of the labour force (metro figure) (State of Hawaiʻi Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
• Income per head: 90,027 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4. Source
• Economic diversity: 73.1 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (metro figure) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025). Between 72 and 80: grade 3/4. Source

Climate and hazards: 50

• Extreme heat days: 0 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: 307.8 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: 3.3 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: 50

• Water scarcity: not measured yet
• Wastewater safely treated: 98.1 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: SDG Indicators Database by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs), 2024). At or above 95: grade 4/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 1,028 kg per resident per year (metro figure) (City and County of Honolulu Department of Environmental Services, H-POWER Presentation, 2020). Above 700: grade 0/4. Source
• Green space: 22 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Trees for Honolulu's Future / Honolulu Civil Beat, 2025). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4. Source

Community and housing: 38

• Tourism intensity: 41 visitor nights per resident per year (metro figure) (Hawaii DBEDT State of Hawaii Data Book 2024 (Table 7.06) & U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 County Population Estimates, 2024). Above 40: grade 0/4. Source
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: 4.8 % change in rents over the last 12 months (metro figure) (Apartment List via ALXnow, July 2025–July 2026). Between 3 and 6: grade 3/4. Source
• Short-let density: 2.5 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO), The Hawaii Housing Factbook, 2025). Between 2 and 4: grade 1/4. Source
• Resident support for tourism: 56 % of residents who say tourism benefits them or the city (region figure) (Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority / DBEDT via UHERO, Spring 2024). Between 50 and 60: grade 2/4. Source

Access and continuity: 96

• Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (State of Hawaii Department of Transportation & City and County of Honolulu, 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, tested plan that names visitors and tourism operators, with warnings in several languages (City and County of Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, 2025–2026). Grade 4/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan tested in an exercise or a real event, with lessons published (Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA), 2023–2025). Grade 4/4. Source
• Government effectiveness: 84 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). At or above 80: grade 4/4. 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 plus a reserve or stabilisation fund for downturns (City and County of Honolulu & State of Hawaii Department of Budget and Finance, 2024–2026). Grade 4/4. Source

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