Cairo vs Cape Town

Cape Town leads Cairo by 1 points on the CIRA Index, 57 to 56. Cairo grades better on 6 measures, Cape Town on 8; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Cairo 56, Cape Town 57
• OECD: Cairo 57, Cape Town 56
• UN Tourism: Cairo 63, Cape Town 39
• UNDRR: Cairo 37, Cape Town 57

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Cairo 92, Cape Town 75
• Economy and jobs: Cairo 67, Cape Town 13
• Climate and hazards: Cairo 15, Cape Town 60
• Water and environment: Cairo 50, Cape Town 13
• Community and housing: Cairo 63, Cape Town 67
• Access and continuity: Cairo 50, Cape Town 71

Where Cairo is stronger

• Recovery against 2019: 114.8 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (country figure) (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities / Central Bank of Egypt / Road Genius, 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 71.1 % average annual occupancy (JLL / STR Global via Economy Middle East, 'Cairo's hospitality market sees strong growth in 2025', Q2 2025). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
• Unemployment rate: 6.8 % of the labour force (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Between 5 and 8: grade 3/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 62.6 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (United Nations in Egypt, Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, 2024). Between 50 and 70: grade 1/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 310.3 kg per resident per year (IHE Delft / Hemidat et al., Municipal Solid Waste in Egypt, 2022). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 0.3 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (region figure) (AirDNA & CAPMAS (Egypt Census of Population and Housing), 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.

Where Cape Town is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 57 % of nights by residents of the same country (City of Cape Town - Economic Performance Indicators for Cape Town (EPIC), Q2 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Extreme heat days: 1.4 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.
• 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.
• Water scarcity: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Rent growth: 9.7 % change in rents over the last 12 months (region figure) (PayProp / Rode Media, PayProp Rental Index, Q2 2026). Between 6 and 10: grade 2/4.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (City of Cape Town Disaster Risk Management Centre, 2025–2026). 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.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Egypt: #63 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• South Africa: #61 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Cairo in full · Cape Town in full

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