Kingston

Kingston, Jamaica, scores 50 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #234 of 309 destinations. 23 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 66% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: 50
• OECD: 48
• UN Tourism: 45
• UNDRR: 59

Strongest

• Extreme heat days: 0.8 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.
• Average length of stay: 5 nights per visitor (Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association via Jamaica Tourist Board, 2023). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Jobs in tourism industries: 7.6 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) via The Hotel Blueprint, 'Hospitality Labor Market Review: Jamaica, Full Year 2025', 2025). At or below 8: grade 4/4.

Weakest

• Largest foreign market: 74 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Jamaica Ministry of Tourism / Jamaica Tourist Board, 2023). Above 40: grade 0/4.
• Income per head: 13,291 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Below 15,000: grade 0/4.
• Domestic share of nights: 9.5 % 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). Below 15: grade 0/4.

Jamaica in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

Jamaica is #78 of 110 countries (3.65 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 55 on the CIRA Index; Kingston is 5 below that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 35

• Nights in the three busiest months: 30.8 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2024, 2025 moving average). Between 30 and 35: grade 3/4. Source
• Domestic share of nights: 9.5 % 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). Below 15: grade 0/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 74 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Jamaica Ministry of Tourism / Jamaica Tourist Board, 2023). Above 40: grade 0/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: not measured yet
• Average length of stay: 5 nights per visitor (Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association via Jamaica Tourist Board, 2023). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 23.7 % average annual occupancy (region figure) (Jamaica Tourist Board, Annual Travel Statistics 2021 (Research & Market Intelligence Unit), 2021). Below 45: grade 0/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 63

• Jobs in tourism industries: 7.6 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) via The Hotel Blueprint, 'Hospitality Labor Market Review: Jamaica, Full Year 2025', 2025). At or below 8: grade 4/4. Source
• Unemployment rate: 3.7 % of the labour force (country figure) (Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), Labour Force Survey, April 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
• Income per head: 13,291 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Below 15,000: grade 0/4. Source
• Economic diversity: 69.8 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (country figure) (Ministry of Finance and the Public Service / STATIN, 'Fiscal Policy Paper FY 2024/25', July 2023). Between 64 and 72: grade 2/4. Source

Climate and hazards: 50

• Extreme heat days: 0.8 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: 354.4 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: not measured yet
• Wildfire and storm hazard: not measured yet
• Country disaster risk: 3.7 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 3.5 and 5: grade 2/4. Source

Water and environment: 33

• Water scarcity: not measured yet
• Wastewater safely treated: 52.4 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (UN-Water / SDG Country Profiles, Indicator 6.3.1, 2024). Between 50 and 70: grade 1/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 365 kg per resident per year (country figure) (National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) Jamaica / Jamaica Information Service, 2022). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4. Source
• Green space: 1.8 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (World Bank via Caribbean National Weekly, 2026). Below 10: grade 0/4. Source

Community and housing: 25

• Tourism intensity: not measured yet
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: 7.5 % change in rents over the last 12 months (country figure) (Rent Assessment Board of Jamaica / Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, 2026). Between 6 and 10: grade 2/4. Source
• Short-let density: 7.6 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA & Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) 2011 Census, 2026). Above 4: grade 0/4. Source
• Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 67

• Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (PAC Kingston Airport Limited & Port Authority of Jamaica, 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 city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) & Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC), 2024–2026). Grade 3/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, 2024–2026). Grade 3/4. Source
• Government effectiveness: 54.7 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). Between 40 and 60: grade 2/4. Source
• Travel advisory: 2 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 1 and 2: grade 3/4. Source
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Ministry of Tourism Jamaica & Houses of Parliament, 2024–2025). Grade 2/4. Source

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