Phoenix

Phoenix, United States, scores 63 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #112 of 309 destinations. 25 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 85% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: 63
• OECD: 61
• UN Tourism: 67
• UNDRR: 57

Strongest

• Wastewater safely treated: 98 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (City of Phoenix Water Services Department via 12News, 2024). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: -2.9 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Apartment List, Phoenix, AZ Rent Report (October 2026), October 2025 – September 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated, tested plan that names visitors and tourism operators, with warnings in several languages (City of Phoenix Office of Heat Response and Mitigation, 2026). Grade 4/4.

Weakest

• Largest foreign market: 68.8 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Arizona Office of Tourism / Northern Arizona Industry Forecast, 2025). Above 40: grade 0/4.
• Tropical nights: 145.4 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.
• Extreme heat days: 136.8 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Above 60: grade 0/4.

United States in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

United States is #2 of 110 countries (5.23 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 70 on the CIRA Index; Phoenix is 7 below that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 70

• Nights in the three busiest months: 28.4 % 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: 88.4 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Arizona Office of Tourism / Northern Arizona Industry Forecast, 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 68.8 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Arizona Office of Tourism / Northern Arizona Industry Forecast, 2025). Above 40: grade 0/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: 101.3 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (region figure) (Arizona Office of Tourism / Tourism Economics, TRACKING DOMESTIC VISITOR VOLUMES FOR ARIZONA 2024 Q4, 2024). Between 100 and 110: grade 3/4. Source
• Average length of stay: not measured yet
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 68.4 % average annual occupancy (metro figure) (ChamberRVA / Visit Phoenix, Richmond MSA + Phoenix MSA Benchmarking Report, 2023). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 75

• Jobs in tourism industries: 12.1 % of employment in accommodation and food services (metro figure) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, 2024). Between 12 and 16: grade 2/4. Source
• Unemployment rate: 4.8 % of the labour force (metro figure) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment, July 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
• Income per head: 90,027 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4. Source
• Economic diversity: 69.8 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (metro figure) (Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CES Program, 2024). Between 64 and 72: grade 2/4. Source

Climate and hazards: 25

• Extreme heat days: 136.8 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: 145.4 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: 3.3 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: 58

• Water scarcity: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4. Source
• Wastewater safely treated: 98 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (City of Phoenix Water Services Department via 12News, 2024). At or above 95: grade 4/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: not measured yet
• Green space: 11 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (City of Phoenix Office of Heat Response and Mitigation & American Forests, Shade Phoenix Plan, 2024). Between 10 and 20: grade 1/4. Source

Community and housing: 88

• Tourism intensity: not measured yet
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: -2.9 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Apartment List, Phoenix, AZ Rent Report (October 2026), October 2025 – September 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4. Source
• Short-let density: 0.9 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirROI Phoenix Market Report & U.S. Census Bureau ACS Estimates, 2024–2026). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4. Source
• Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 75

• Access redundancy: 2 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (ADOT & City of Phoenix, 2026). Between 2 and 3: grade 2/4. 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, tested plan that names visitors and tourism operators, with warnings in several languages (City of Phoenix Office of Heat Response and Mitigation, 2026). Grade 4/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Visit Phoenix, 2024–2026). Grade 1/4. Source
• Government effectiveness: 84 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). At or above 80: grade 4/4. 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 (City of Phoenix Finance Department, 2025–2026). Grade 3/4. Source

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