Bucharest vs Milan

Bucharest leads Milan by 1 points on the CIRA Index, 69 to 68. Bucharest grades better on 7 measures, Milan on 7; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Bucharest 69, Milan 68
• OECD: Bucharest 68, Milan 69
• UN Tourism: Bucharest 73, Milan 69
• UNDRR: Bucharest 59, Milan 69

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Bucharest 60, Milan 71
• Economy and jobs: Bucharest 92, Milan 92
• Climate and hazards: Bucharest 60, Milan 65
• Water and environment: Bucharest 75, Milan 63
• Community and housing: Bucharest 83, Milan 67
• Access and continuity: Bucharest 63, Milan 67

Where Bucharest is stronger

• Nights in the three busiest months: 32.6 % 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.
• Domestic share of nights: 36.1 % of nights by residents of the same country (Direcția Regională de Statistică a Municipiului București (DRS-București / INSSE), Activitatea turistică în Municipiul București (trimestrul III 2025), Q3 2025). Between 35 and 45: grade 3/4.
• Jobs in tourism industries: 4.1 % 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.
• Municipal waste per resident: 305 kg per resident per year (country figure) (Eurostat, 2023). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Tourism intensity: 2 visitor nights per resident per year (Institutul Național de Statistică (INS) / DRSM București, 2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 0.5 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA & Institutul Național de Statistică (INSSE), 2024–2026). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4.
• 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.

Where Milan is stronger

• Average length of stay: 2.2 nights per visitor (Istat via Pagella Politica, 2024). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 70 % average annual occupancy (Centro Studi Assolombarda, Osservatorio Turismo 2025 (elaborazioni su dati Istat e Confindustria Alberghi), 2024). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
• Income per head: 77,534 GDP per capita, USD PPP (metro figure) (OECD Metropolitan Areas Database via OECD Functional Urban Areas, 2021). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4.
• Wildfire and storm hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Rent growth: -1.4 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Idealista, August 2025 – August 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Comune di Milano - Assessorato al Turismo & YesMilano, 2024–2026). Grade 1/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Comune di Milano, Regolamento dell'Imposta Comunale di Soggiorno nella Città di Milano, 2026). Grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Romania: #43 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Italy: #10 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Bucharest in full · Milan in full

The CIRA Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · CIRA Studio · Put your city in the pilot