Karachi

Karachi, Pakistan, scores 45 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #259 of 309 destinations. 24 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: 45
• OECD: 43
• UN Tourism: 45
• UNDRR: 30

Strongest

• Average length of stay: 6.2 nights per visitor (AirROI, Karachi, Sindh Airbnb Data 2026: Occupancy, Revenue & STR Market Report, August 2025 – July 2026). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 178.9 kg per resident per year (UN-Habitat Waste Wise Cities Tool (WaCT) Factsheet Karachi, 2021). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Jobs in tourism industries: 2.7 % 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.

Weakest

• Country disaster risk: 6.6 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Above 6.5: grade 0/4.
• Income per head: 6,573 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Below 15,000: grade 0/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: No tourism crisis or recovery plan found (Sindh Tourism Development Corporation (STDC) / Culture, Tourism, Antiquities & Archives Department, 2024). Grade 0/4.

Pakistan in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

Pakistan is #95 of 110 countries (3.42 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 53 on the CIRA Index; Karachi is 8 below that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 56

• Nights in the three busiest months: not measured yet
• Domestic share of nights: 89.3 % of nights by residents of the same country (country figure) (World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) - Pakistan Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Research 2024, 2023). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 36 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Policy Advisory Board of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), 'Mapping Pakistan's Tourism Potential', 2023). Between 30 and 40: grade 1/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: not measured yet
• Average length of stay: 6.2 nights per visitor (AirROI, Karachi, Sindh Airbnb Data 2026: Occupancy, Revenue & STR Market Report, August 2025 – July 2026). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 29.2 % average annual occupancy (AirROI, Karachi, Sindh Airbnb Data 2026: Occupancy, Revenue & STR Market Report, August 2025 – July 2026). Below 45: grade 0/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 63

• Jobs in tourism industries: 2.7 % 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 (region figure) (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Labour Force Survey 2024-25, 2024–2025). Between 5 and 8: grade 3/4. Source
• Income per head: 6,573 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Below 15,000: grade 0/4. Source
• Economic diversity: 77.4 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (country figure) (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Labour Force Survey 2024–25, 2024–25). Between 72 and 80: grade 3/4. Source

Climate and hazards: 20

• Extreme heat days: 27.2 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: 260.4 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: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
• Country disaster risk: 6.6 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Above 6.5: grade 0/4. Source

Water and environment: 31

• Water scarcity: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
• Wastewater safely treated: 11.4 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (WWF / Aaj News / Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), 2022). Below 50: grade 0/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 178.9 kg per resident per year (UN-Habitat Waste Wise Cities Tool (WaCT) Factsheet Karachi, 2021). At or below 350: grade 4/4. Source
• Green space: 1 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) / Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, 2023). Below 10: grade 0/4. Source

Community and housing: 50

• Tourism intensity: not measured yet
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: 6.1 % change in rents over the last 12 months (country figure) (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Monthly Review on Price Indices (CPI Urban), April 2025 – April 2026). Between 6 and 10: grade 2/4. Source
• Short-let density: not measured yet
• Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 38

• Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Civil Aviation Authority Pakistan / Pakistan Railways / National Highway Authority, 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 (Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Sindh & Commissioner Karachi Office, 2024–2025). Grade 3/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: No tourism crisis or recovery plan found (Sindh Tourism Development Corporation (STDC) / Culture, Tourism, Antiquities & Archives Department, 2024). Grade 0/4. Source
• Government effectiveness: 25.5 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). Between 20 and 40: grade 1/4. Source
• Travel advisory: 3 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 2.5 and 3: grade 1/4. Source
• Dedicated tourism funding: A promotion budget that depends each year on the general budget (Finance Department, Government of Sindh - Budget Estimates (SC21148), 2024–2025). Grade 1/4. Source

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