Medina

Medina, Saudi Arabia, scores 56 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #198 of 309 destinations. 26 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: 55
• UN Tourism: 51
• UNDRR: 39

Strongest

• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 75 % average annual occupancy (Almqr Development Company / Saudi Press Agency (SPA), 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Recovery against 2019: 143.9 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Madinah Region Development Authority via Saudi Press Agency (SPA), 2023). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Average length of stay: 10 nights per visitor (Madinah Region Development Authority via Saudi Press Agency (SPA), 2023). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.

Weakest

• Green space: 1.5 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (UN-Habitat, World Cities Report 2022 (Statistical Annex), 2020). Below 10: grade 0/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: No tourism crisis or recovery plan found (Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, 2026). Grade 0/4.
• Tropical nights: 207.6 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.

Saudi Arabia in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

Saudi Arabia is #29 of 110 countries (4.45 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 62 on the CIRA Index; Medina is 6 below that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 92

• Nights in the three busiest months: 32.8 % 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: 43.3 % 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: 10.8 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Ministry of Tourism (Saudi Arabia), Tourism Statistics in Saudi Arabia - Annual Statistical Report 2024, 2024). At or below 15: grade 4/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: 143.9 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Madinah Region Development Authority via Saudi Press Agency (SPA), 2023). At or above 110: grade 4/4. Source
• Average length of stay: 10 nights per visitor (Madinah Region Development Authority via Saudi Press Agency (SPA), 2023). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 75 % average annual occupancy (Almqr Development Company / Saudi Press Agency (SPA), 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 67

• Jobs in tourism industries: 10.2 % 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 8 and 12: grade 3/4. Source
• Unemployment rate: 12.2 % of the labour force (region figure) (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Labor Market Statistics, Q4 2022). Between 12 and 18: grade 1/4. Source
• Income per head: 73,784 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4. Source
• Economic diversity: not measured yet

Climate and hazards: 40

• Extreme heat days: 205.4 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Above 60: grade 0/4. Source
• Tropical nights: 207.6 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: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4. Source
• Country disaster risk: 3.1 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: 31

• Water scarcity: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
• Wastewater safely treated: 85 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (WHO / UN-Habitat / UN-Water SDG 6 Data Portal & World Health Organization Data, 2024). Between 85 and 95: grade 3/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 627.8 kg per resident per year (country figure) (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2018). Between 550 and 700: grade 1/4. Source
• Green space: 1.5 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (UN-Habitat, World Cities Report 2022 (Statistical Annex), 2020). Below 10: grade 0/4. Source

Community and housing: 63

• Tourism intensity: 14.4 visitor nights per resident per year (region figure) (Madinah Chamber / Saudi Press Agency (SPA) & GASTAT, H1 2025). Between 10 and 20: grade 2/4. Source
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: 5.3 % change in rents over the last 12 months (country figure) (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Consumer Price Index – December 2025, December 2024–December 2025). Between 3 and 6: grade 3/4. 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 (Saudi Arabia Railways & General Authority of Civil Aviation, 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: A national system only; no city plan found (Saudi Civil Defense, 2026). Grade 1/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: No tourism crisis or recovery plan found (Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, 2026). Grade 0/4. Source
• Government effectiveness: 71.7 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 promotion budget that depends each year on the general budget (Ministry of Finance & Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, 2026). Grade 1/4. Source

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