Pretoria

Pretoria, South Africa, scores 68 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #76 of 309 destinations. 27 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 79% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: 68
• OECD: 66
• UN Tourism: 61
• UNDRR: 64

Strongest

• Average length of stay: 4.3 nights per visitor (AirROI, Pretoria, Gauteng Airbnb Data 2026: Occupancy, Revenue & STR Market Report, 2025–2026). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Extreme heat days: 3.4 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: 7 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.

Weakest

• Largest foreign market: 42.8 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Gauteng Tourism Authority / South African Tourism, Tourism Performance Report, 2025). Above 40: grade 0/4.
• Unemployment rate: 34.2 % of the labour force (metro figure) (City of Tshwane / Statistics South Africa, Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), Q2 2026). Above 18: grade 0/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 52.4 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (UN-Water / WHO / SDG 6 Data Portal via UN SDG Country Profiles, 2024). Between 50 and 70: grade 1/4.

South Africa in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

South Africa is #61 of 110 countries (3.99 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 58 on the CIRA Index; Pretoria is 10 above that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 67

• Nights in the three busiest months: 29 % 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: 77 % of nights by residents of the same country (metro figure) (Discover Tshwane / Tshwane Tourism Association & City of Tshwane Tourism Division, 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 42.8 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Gauteng Tourism Authority / South African Tourism, Tourism Performance Report, 2025). Above 40: grade 0/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: 102.6 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (country figure) (Statistics South Africa / South African Tourism, Tourism Performance Report (January – December 2025), 2025). Between 100 and 110: grade 3/4. Source
• Average length of stay: 4.3 nights per visitor (AirROI, Pretoria, Gauteng Airbnb Data 2026: Occupancy, Revenue & STR Market Report, 2025–2026). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 48 % average annual occupancy (Airbtics, Airbnb Revenue in Pretoria: Short-Term Rental Data & Insights, February 2025–January 2026). Between 45 and 55: grade 1/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 42

• Jobs in tourism industries: 6.4 % 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: 34.2 % of the labour force (metro figure) (City of Tshwane / Statistics South Africa, Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), Q2 2026). Above 18: grade 0/4. Source
• Income per head: 15,906 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Between 15,000 and 30,000: grade 1/4. Source
• Economic diversity: not measured yet

Climate and hazards: 70

• Extreme heat days: 3.4 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: 7 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: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4. Source
• Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
• Country disaster risk: 5.2 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: 63

• 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-Water / WHO / SDG 6 Data Portal via UN SDG Country Profiles, 2024). Between 50 and 70: grade 1/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 398 kg per resident per year (country figure) (Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), Draft Sectoral Emissions Targets to 2030 Report, 2022). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4. Source
• Green space: 42 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (metro figure) (Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index (HUGSI), 2023). At or above 40: grade 4/4. Source

Community and housing: 100

• Tourism intensity: 1.7 visitor nights per resident per year (metro figure) (Discover Tshwane / Tshwane Tourism Association and Statistics South Africa Census 2022, 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: 2.4 % change in rents over the last 12 months (region figure) (PayProp South Africa, PayProp Rental Index Q2 2025, Q2 2025). At or below 3: grade 4/4. Source
• Short-let density: 0.2 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (metro figure) (AirDNA & Statistics South Africa via City of Tshwane Voluntary Local Review Baseline Report (2024), 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4. Source
• Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 54

• Access redundancy: 2 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality & Gautrain, 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 city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (City of Tshwane Review of the 2022-2026 Integrated Development Plan, 2023–2024). Grade 3/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, 2026). Grade 2/4. Source
• Government effectiveness: 45.8 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 promotion budget that depends each year on the general budget (City of Tshwane, Tourism Division / Medium-term Revenue and Expenditure Framework, 2025–2026). Grade 1/4. Source

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