Sydney

Sydney, Australia, scores 75 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #17 of 309 destinations. 27 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 83% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

CIRA Index: 75
OECD: 75
UN Tourism: 73
UNDRR: 71

Strongest

Hotel bed or room occupancy: 76.9 % average annual occupancy (STR / Savills Australian Hotel Market Outlook Q3 2024, Jan–Sep 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
Extreme heat days: 3 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.
Unemployment rate: 4.1 % of the labour force (metro figure) (Jobs and Skills Australia / Australian Bureau of Statistics via economy.id, March quarter 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4.

Weakest

Short-let density: 4.4 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (City of Sydney, Short-term rental accommodation review, 2024). Above 4: grade 0/4.
Dedicated tourism funding: A promotion budget that depends each year on the general budget (Destination NSW, Annual Report / NSW Treasury, 2024-2025). Grade 1/4.
Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Destination NSW / NSW Government, 2024). Grade 1/4.

Australia in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

Australia is #4 of 110 countries (5.18 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 69 on the CIRA Index; Sydney is 6 above that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 85

Nights in the three busiest months: 30.4 % 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: 27.3 % of nights by residents of the same country (metro figure) (Destination NSW, Sydney Statistics (Tourism Research Australia DoTS & IVS), YE March 2026). Between 25 and 35: grade 2/4. Source
Largest foreign market: 13.9 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (NSW Government / Destination NSW, Tourism Research Australia (IVS), 2025-2026). At or below 15: grade 4/4. Source
Recovery against 2019: not measured yet
Average length of stay: 13.7 nights per visitor (NSW Government / Tourism Research Australia via 150 Day Street Planning Report, 2023/24). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
Hotel bed or room occupancy: 76.9 % average annual occupancy (STR / Savills Australian Hotel Market Outlook Q3 2024, Jan–Sep 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 94

Jobs in tourism industries: 5.7 % 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: 4.1 % of the labour force (metro figure) (Jobs and Skills Australia / Australian Bureau of Statistics via economy.id, March quarter 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
Income per head: 71,934 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4. Source
Economic diversity: 79.7 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (metro figure) (National Economics (NIEIR) / economy.id, 2024/25). Between 72 and 80: grade 3/4. Source

Climate and hazards: 90

Extreme heat days: 3 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: 28.6 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: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4. Source
Wildfire and storm hazard: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4. Source
Country disaster risk: 2.4 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: 75

Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4. Source
Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (metro figure) (Sydney Water, Wastewater systems / Annual Environmental Performance Report, 2024–25). At or above 95: grade 4/4. Source
Municipal waste per resident: 400 kg per resident per year (metro figure) (NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), Local Government Waste Data Survey 2024–25, 2024–25). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4. Source
Green space: 21.9 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (metro figure) (NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Urban heat and canopy data, 2024–25). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4. Source

Community and housing: 25

Tourism intensity: 22.8 visitor nights per resident per year (metro figure) (Destination NSW (Sydney Statistics) & Australian Bureau of Statistics (ERP via economy.id), YE March 2026). Between 20 and 40: grade 1/4. Source
Cruise pressure: not measured yet
Rent growth: 6.3 % change in rents over the last 12 months (metro figure) (SQM Research Weekly Rents Index, 12 months to August 2026). Between 6 and 10: grade 2/4. Source
Short-let density: 4.4 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (City of Sydney, Short-term rental accommodation review, 2024). Above 4: grade 0/4. Source
Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 71

Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (metro figure) (Transport for NSW / Port Authority of NSW / Sydney Airport, 2024). At or above 4: grade 4/4. 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 (NSW State Emergency Service / City of Sydney Local Emergency Management Committee, 2023). Grade 3/4. Source
Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Destination NSW / NSW Government, 2024). Grade 1/4. Source
Government effectiveness: 95.3 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 promotion budget that depends each year on the general budget (Destination NSW, Annual Report / NSW Treasury, 2024-2025). Grade 1/4. Source

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