Johor Bahru

Johor Bahru, Malaysia, scores 69 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #66 of 309 destinations. 25 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 75% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: 69
• OECD: 63
• UN Tourism: 70
• UNDRR: 55

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.
• Rent growth: 0.1 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Knight Frank Malaysia / NAPIC via KLSE Screener, 2024). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Senai International Airport & Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB), 2024–2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.

Weakest

• Green space: 6.5 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (region figure) (Global Forest Watch / University of Maryland, Johor Baharu District Tree Cover and Natural Forest Statistics, 2020). Below 10: grade 0/4.
• Largest foreign market: 77.3 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Johor State Legislative Assembly / AsiaOne, Jan–Mar 2026). Above 40: grade 0/4.
• 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.

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; Johor Bahru is 6 above that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 60

• 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: 69.4 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Johor State Government / The Star, 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 77.3 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Johor State Legislative Assembly / AsiaOne, Jan–Mar 2026). Above 40: grade 0/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: not measured yet
• Average length of stay: 2.6 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: 61.7 % average annual occupancy (region figure) (Knight Frank / Tourism Johor, Real Estate Highlights, 1Q 2026). Between 55 and 65: grade 2/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 67

• Jobs in tourism industries: 12.8 % 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). Between 12 and 16: grade 2/4. Source
• Unemployment rate: 2.3 % of the labour force (region figure) (Johor State Government & Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Johor Economic Transformation Plan (JETP), 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
• Income per head: 41,498 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Between 30,000 and 45,000: grade 2/4. Source
• Economic diversity: not measured yet

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: 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: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4. 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: 63

• 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: 427.1 kg per resident per year (country figure) (Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) / GarGeon Enterprise Report, 2024). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4. Source
• Green space: 6.5 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (region figure) (Global Forest Watch / University of Maryland, Johor Baharu District Tree Cover and Natural Forest Statistics, 2020). Below 10: grade 0/4. Source

Community and housing: 88

• Tourism intensity: 5.6 visitor nights per resident per year (region figure) (Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Domestic Tourism Survey 2023 & Current Population Estimates 2023, 2023). Between 5 and 10: grade 3/4. Source
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: 0.1 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Knight Frank Malaysia / NAPIC via KLSE Screener, 2024). At or below 3: grade 4/4. Source
• Short-let density: not measured yet
• Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 75

• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Senai International Airport & Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB), 2024–2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4. 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 (Media Digital Johor / Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru (MBJB), 2025). Grade 3/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (The Star, 2020–2025). Grade 1/4. 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 partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (The Straits Times / Bernama, 2025–2026). Grade 3/4. Source

Compare Johor Bahru

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