Houston

Houston, United States, scores 67 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #84 of 309 destinations. 27 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 84% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

CIRA Index: 67
OECD: 65
UN Tourism: 66
UNDRR: 67

Strongest

Domestic share of nights: 97.6 % of nights by residents of the same country (Houston First Corporation / City of Houston (Tourism Economics study), 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
Recovery against 2019: 110 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Houston First Corporation / Tourism Economics, 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
Rent growth: -2.5 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Apartment List, Houston Rent Report: September 2026, August 2025–August 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.

Weakest

Municipal waste per resident: 914.5 kg per resident per year (metro figure) (City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department / H-GAC, Long Range Solid Waste Management Plan, 2018). Above 700: grade 0/4.
Largest foreign market: 63 % of international arrivals or nights (metro figure) (Houston Tourism Statistics / Visit Houston, 2024). Above 40: grade 0/4.
Tropical nights: 170 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.

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; Houston is 3 below that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 75

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: 97.6 % of nights by residents of the same country (Houston First Corporation / City of Houston (Tourism Economics study), 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
Largest foreign market: 63 % of international arrivals or nights (metro figure) (Houston Tourism Statistics / Visit Houston, 2024). Above 40: grade 0/4. Source
Recovery against 2019: 110 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Houston First Corporation / Tourism Economics, 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4. Source
Average length of stay: 11 nights per visitor (metro figure) (Houston First / Visit Houston, The Impact of Overseas Visitation in Houston, 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
Hotel bed or room occupancy: 59 % average annual occupancy (metro figure) (Houston First Corporation / CoStar, 2025). Between 55 and 65: grade 2/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 92

Jobs in tourism industries: 6.3 % 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: 5.1 % of the labour force (metro figure) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, July 2026). Between 5 and 8: grade 3/4. Source
Income per head: 72,453 GDP per capita, USD PPP (metro figure) (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), 2023). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4. Source
Economic diversity: not measured yet

Climate and hazards: 40

Extreme heat days: 25.8 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 15 and 30: grade 2/4. Source
Tropical nights: 170 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: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4. Source
Wastewater safely treated: 98.1 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (United Nations Statistics Division / WHO / UN-Habitat, SDG Indicator 6.3.1, 2024). At or above 95: grade 4/4. Source
Municipal waste per resident: 914.5 kg per resident per year (metro figure) (City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department / H-GAC, Long Range Solid Waste Management Plan, 2018). Above 700: grade 0/4. Source
Green space: 18.4 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (USDA Forest Service, Houston's Urban Forest, 2015, 2015). Between 10 and 20: grade 1/4. Source

Community and housing: 67

Tourism intensity: 10.9 visitor nights per resident per year (Houston First Corporation & City of Houston Facts & Figures, 2024). Between 10 and 20: grade 2/4. Source
Cruise pressure: not measured yet
Rent growth: -2.5 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Apartment List, Houston Rent Report: September 2026, August 2025–August 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4. Source
Short-let density: 1.6 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA & U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Houston city, Texas, August 2026). Between 1 and 2: grade 2/4. Source
Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 79

Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Houston Airport System / Amtrak / Federal Highway Administration, 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 of Houston Office of Emergency Management, 2024–2025). Grade 4/4. Source
Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Houston First Corporation / City of Houston Emergency Management Framework, 2024). Grade 1/4. 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 partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Houston First Corporation / City of Houston, 2024–2025). Grade 3/4. Source

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