Budapest vs Riga

Riga leads Budapest by 1 points on the CIRA Index, 73 to 72. Budapest grades better on 5 measures, Riga on 5; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Budapest 72, Riga 73
• OECD: Budapest 70, Riga 70
• UN Tourism: Budapest 75, Riga 74
• UNDRR: Budapest 70, Riga 71

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Budapest 63, Riga 46
• Economy and jobs: Budapest 92, Riga 92
• Climate and hazards: Budapest 70, Riga 92
• Water and environment: Budapest 75, Riga 83
• Community and housing: Budapest 67, Riga 83
• Access and continuity: Budapest 71, Riga 67

Where Budapest is stronger

• Recovery against 2019: 103.8 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) / Horwath HTL, 2025). Between 100 and 110: grade 3/4.
• Average length of stay: 2.4 nights per visitor (Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) / Horwath HTL, 2025). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 71 % average annual occupancy (CBRE / Money Buzz! Hungary, 2024). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 361.3 kg per resident per year (Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), Települések infrastrukturális ellátottsága, 2023, 2023). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Budapest Airport / MÁV / MAHART PassNave, 2025–2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.

Where Riga is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 19.5 % of nights by residents of the same country (Latvia Travel (LIAA) & Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia, Tourism in Riga. Positive growth trends, 2024). Between 15 and 25: grade 1/4.
• Tropical nights: 2.4 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.
• Green space: 47 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index (HUGSI), 2023). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
• Tourism intensity: 3.3 visitor nights per resident per year (Latvia Travel / Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia, 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 0.9 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA & Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia (Population and Housing Census), August 2026). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Hungary: #42 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Latvia: #67 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Budapest in full · Riga in full

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