São Paulo

São Paulo, Brazil, scores 69 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #66 of 309 destinations. 27 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 82% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

CIRA Index: 69
OECD: 68
UN Tourism: 72
UNDRR: 55

Strongest

Domestic share of nights: 94.7 % of nights by residents of the same country (Observatório de Turismo e Eventos da São Paulo Turismo (OTE-SPTuris) / Estadão Expresso São Paulo, 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
Average length of stay: 3.8 nights per visitor (Secretaria Municipal de Relações Internacionais / Observatório de Turismo e Eventos da SPTuris, 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
Extreme heat days: 1.8 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.

Weakest

Income per head: 23,433 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Between 15,000 and 30,000: grade 1/4.
Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4.
Dedicated tourism funding: A promotion budget that depends each year on the general budget (Câmara Municipal de São Paulo / Prefeitura Municipal de São Paulo, 2024–2026). Grade 1/4.

Brazil in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

Brazil is #32 of 110 countries (4.41 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; São Paulo is 7 above that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 75

Nights in the three busiest months: 39.3 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2024, 2025 moving average). Between 35 and 40: grade 2/4. Source
Domestic share of nights: 94.7 % of nights by residents of the same country (Observatório de Turismo e Eventos da São Paulo Turismo (OTE-SPTuris) / Estadão Expresso São Paulo, 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
Largest foreign market: 15.7 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Embratur / Ministério do Turismo via Revista Veja, 2025). Between 15 and 20: grade 3/4. Source
Recovery against 2019: not measured yet
Average length of stay: 3.8 nights per visitor (Secretaria Municipal de Relações Internacionais / Observatório de Turismo e Eventos da SPTuris, 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
Hotel bed or room occupancy: 60.8 % average annual occupancy (country figure) (JLL, FOHB & Resorts Brasil, Hotelaria em Números - Brasil 2024, 2023). Between 55 and 65: grade 2/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 75

Jobs in tourism industries: 3.1 % 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: 5 % of the labour force (region figure) (IBGE - Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios Contínua (PNAD Contínua), 2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
Income per head: 23,433 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: 60

Extreme heat days: 1.8 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: 26.8 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 10 and 30: grade 3/4. Source
Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4. Source
Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
Country disaster risk: 4.7 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: 81

Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4. Source
Wastewater safely treated: 86 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Sabesp / Instituto Trata Brasil, 2024). Between 85 and 95: grade 3/4. Source
Municipal waste per resident: 295.3 kg per resident per year (Preprints.org / SP Regula, 'Have There Been Advances in the Recycling of Household Solid Waste?', 2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4. Source
Green space: 33.7 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Prefeitura do Município de São Paulo - Secretaria Municipal do Verde e do Meio Ambiente (SVMA), 2020). Between 30 and 40: grade 3/4. Source

Community and housing: 75

Tourism intensity: 3.3 visitor nights per resident per year (Observatório de Turismo e Eventos (SPTuris) / IBGE, 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
Cruise pressure: not measured yet
Rent growth: 10 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Fipe - Índice FipeZAP de Locação Residencial, 12 months ending July 2026). Between 10 and 15: grade 1/4. Source
Short-let density: 1 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Inside Airbnb & IBGE Censo Demográfico 2022, June 2026). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4. Source
Resident support for tourism: 90 % of residents who say tourism benefits them or the city (region figure) (Secretaria de Turismo e Viagens do Estado de São Paulo (Setur-SP / CIET) - Pesquisa de Percepção do Turismo 2025-2026, Nov 2025–Jan 2026). At or above 70: grade 4/4. Source

Access and continuity: 50

Access redundancy: 2 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (metro figure) (Secretaria dos Transportes Metropolitanos / GRU Airport / Artesp, 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 (Centro de Gerenciamento de Emergências Climáticas (CGE) & Defesa Civil de São Paulo, 2026). Grade 3/4. Source
Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Secretaria Municipal de Turismo de São Paulo / SciELO, 2023–2026). Grade 1/4. Source
Government effectiveness: 44.8 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 (Câmara Municipal de São Paulo / Prefeitura Municipal de São Paulo, 2024–2026). Grade 1/4. Source

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