Abidjan vs Cape Town

Abidjan leads Cape Town by 1 points on the CIRA Index, 58 to 57. Abidjan grades better on 7 measures, Cape Town on 8; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Abidjan 58, Cape Town 57
• OECD: Abidjan 58, Cape Town 56
• UN Tourism: Abidjan 65, Cape Town 39
• UNDRR: Abidjan 41, Cape Town 57

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Abidjan 63, Cape Town 75
• Economy and jobs: Abidjan 67, Cape Town 13
• Climate and hazards: Abidjan 35, Cape Town 60
• Water and environment: Abidjan 63, Cape Town 13
• Community and housing: Abidjan 92, Cape Town 67
• Access and continuity: Abidjan 46, Cape Town 71

Where Abidjan is stronger

• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 70.3 % average annual occupancy (metro figure) (Ministère du Tourisme et des Loisirs de Côte d'Ivoire, Direction de la Planification, des Statistiques et des Projets (DPSP), Bulletin d'Informations Statistiques, 2024). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
• Unemployment rate: 2.3 % of the labour force (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 233.6 kg per resident per year (country figure) (Clean Air Task Force, Potential for Waste Sector Methane Reduction in Côte d'Ivoire, 2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Green space: 22 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index (HUGSI), 2024). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Rent growth: 3.7 % change in rents over the last 12 months (country figure) (ANStat (Agence Nationale de la Statistique / Daba Finance), January 2025 – January 2026). Between 3 and 6: grade 3/4.
• Short-let density: 0.2 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA and Institut National de la Statistique (RGPH 2021), August 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.

Where Cape Town is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 14.7 % of international arrivals or nights (Cape Town Tourism - Economic Value of Tourism Report, 2025). At or below 15: grade 4/4.
• Average length of stay: 7 nights per visitor (Cape Town Tourism, Destination Intelligence / Economic Value of Tourism Report, 2025). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• 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.
• Tropical nights: 2 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.
• Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (City of Cape Town / PRASA / Transnet Port Authority, 2024–2026). Between 3 and 4: grade 3/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan tested in an exercise or a real event, with lessons published (Western Cape Government / African Centre for Cities / CPUT, 2021–2024). Grade 4/4.
• 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.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Côte d'Ivoire: #102 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• South Africa: #61 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Abidjan in full · Cape Town in full

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