Riyadh

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, scores 59 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #157 of 309 destinations. 27 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 73% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: 59
• OECD: 60
• UN Tourism: 51
• UNDRR: 53

Strongest

• Short-let density: 0.4 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA and Knight Frank / Ken Research, 2025–2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.
• Domestic share of nights: 85.3 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, Tourism Statistics in Saudi Arabia | Annual Statistical Report 2024, 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Unemployment rate: 2 % of the labour force (region figure) (Ministry of Economy and Planning (DataSaudi) / GASTAT Labor Force Survey, Q1 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4.

Weakest

• Green space: 1.5 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Arab News / Royal Commission for Riyadh City (Green Riyadh Project), 2023). Below 10: grade 0/4.
• Tropical nights: 206.6 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.
• Extreme heat days: 185 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Above 60: 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; Riyadh is 3 below that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 85

• 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: 85.3 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, Tourism Statistics in Saudi Arabia | Annual Statistical Report 2024, 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 10.7 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, Annual Statistical Report 2024, 2024). At or below 15: grade 4/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: not measured yet
• Average length of stay: 4.1 nights per visitor (country figure) (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Tourism Establishments Statistics Publication, Q4 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 63 % average annual occupancy (Knight Frank, Saudi Arabia Hospitality Market Review 2024, 2023). Between 55 and 65: grade 2/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 88

• 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: 2 % of the labour force (region figure) (Ministry of Economy and Planning (DataSaudi) / GASTAT Labor Force Survey, Q1 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4. 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: 78.4 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (country figure) (GASTAT (Register-based Labour Market Statistics / GLMM), Q1 2025). Between 72 and 80: grade 3/4. Source

Climate and hazards: 50

• Extreme heat days: 185 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: 206.6 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: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4. 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: 19

• Water scarcity: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
• Wastewater safely treated: 60 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Journal of King Saud University - Science, via NCBI / PubMed Central, 2021). Between 50 and 70: grade 1/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 657 kg per resident per year (ResearchGate / Applied Sciences, 2024). Between 550 and 700: grade 1/4. Source
• Green space: 1.5 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Arab News / Royal Commission for Riyadh City (Green Riyadh Project), 2023). Below 10: grade 0/4. Source

Community and housing: 67

• Tourism intensity: 17.1 visitor nights per resident per year (region figure) (Ministry of Tourism (Annual Statistical Report 2025) and GASTAT (Saudi Census 2022), 2025). Between 10 and 20: grade 2/4. Source
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: 7.6 % change in rents over the last 12 months (country figure) (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) via Ahmad Khalaf Saudi Real Estate Outlook, August 2024–August 2025). Between 6 and 10: grade 2/4. Source
• Short-let density: 0.4 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA and Knight Frank / Ken Research, 2025–2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4. Source
• Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 50

• Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) & Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR), 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 (Riyadh Municipality Portal / Saudi General Directorate of Civil Defense, 2025–2026). Grade 3/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (GCC Tourism Ministerial Meeting / UN Tourism / Arabian Travel Market, 2026). Grade 1/4. 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 Municipalities and Housing / Arab News, 2024–2026). Grade 1/4. Source

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