Kigali

Kigali, Rwanda, scores 56 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #198 of 309 destinations. 27 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 70% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: 56
• OECD: 58
• UN Tourism: 53
• UNDRR: 51

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.
• Tropical nights: 0 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 10: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 0.1 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Kwanda Real Estate / AirROI (Furnished Apartments Kigali: Airbnb Profitability Guide 2026) & National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (Fifth Rwanda Population and Housing Census 2022), March 2024 – March 2025). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.

Weakest

• Income per head: 4,164 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Below 15,000: grade 0/4.
• Rent growth: 20.4 % change in rents over the last 12 months (National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), Consumer Price Index (CPI) - August 2026, August 2025 – August 2026). Above 15: grade 0/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 31.5 % average annual occupancy (AirROI, Kigali, Kigali City Airbnb Data 2026: Occupancy, Revenue & STR Market Report, August 2025–July 2026). Below 45: grade 0/4.

Rwanda in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

Rwanda is #91 of 110 countries (3.47 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; Kigali is 3 above that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 58

• Nights in the three busiest months: 33.1 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2021, 2022 moving average). Between 30 and 35: grade 3/4. Source
• Domestic share of nights: 41.4 % of nights by residents of the same country (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 35 and 45: grade 3/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 16.6 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Rwanda Development Board / eVisa Rwanda Source Markets Analysis, 2024). Between 15 and 20: grade 3/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: 83.4 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (country figure) (Rwanda Development Board (RDB) Five-Year Strategy 2025–2030 / Annual Report 2024, 2024). Between 80 and 90: grade 1/4. Source
• Average length of stay: 7.2 nights per visitor (country figure) (Rwanda Development Board / Industry Market Analysis, 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 31.5 % average annual occupancy (AirROI, Kigali, Kigali City Airbnb Data 2026: Occupancy, Revenue & STR Market Report, August 2025–July 2026). Below 45: grade 0/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 56

• Jobs in tourism industries: 3.9 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, 2025). At or below 8: grade 4/4. Source
• Unemployment rate: 11.4 % of the labour force (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Between 8 and 12: grade 2/4. Source
• Income per head: 4,164 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Below 15,000: grade 0/4. Source
• Economic diversity: 74.1 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (country figure) (National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, 2025). Between 72 and 80: grade 3/4. Source

Climate and hazards: 55

• 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: 0 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 10: grade 4/4. 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: 5.4 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 5 and 6.5: grade 1/4. Source

Water and environment: 50

• Water scarcity: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4. Source
• Wastewater safely treated: 52.4 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (UN Statistics Division, SDG Country Profiles (Indicator 6.3.1), 2024). Between 50 and 70: grade 1/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 204.4 kg per resident per year (Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), Waste Characterisation Study for the City of Kigali, 2021). At or below 350: grade 4/4. Source
• Green space: 17 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Rwanda Forestry Authority / Pulitzer Center, 2019). Between 10 and 20: grade 1/4. Source

Community and housing: 50

• Tourism intensity: not measured yet
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: 20.4 % change in rents over the last 12 months (National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), Consumer Price Index (CPI) - August 2026, August 2025 – August 2026). Above 15: grade 0/4. Source
• Short-let density: 0.1 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Kwanda Real Estate / AirROI (Furnished Apartments Kigali: Airbnb Profitability Guide 2026) & National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (Fifth Rwanda Population and Housing Census 2022), March 2024 – March 2025). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4. Source
• Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 58

• Access redundancy: 1 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Rwanda Airports Company / Logistics Cluster LCA, 2024). Between 1 and 2: grade 1/4. 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 (Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) & City of Kigali, 2021–2024). Grade 3/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN) & Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), 2021–2024). Grade 3/4. Source
• Government effectiveness: 62.7 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: 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 dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Rwanda Development Board (RDB), 2024–2026). Grade 3/4. Source

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