Canberra vs Perth

Perth leads Canberra by 5 points on the CIRA Index, 76 to 71. Canberra grades better on 7 measures, Perth on 5; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Canberra 71, Perth 76
• OECD: Canberra 73, Perth 73
• UN Tourism: Canberra 73, Perth 79
• UNDRR: Canberra 69, Perth 65

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Canberra 75, Perth 90
• Economy and jobs: Canberra 100, Perth 94
• Climate and hazards: Canberra 75, Perth 50
• Water and environment: Canberra 75, Perth 75
• Community and housing: Canberra 50, Perth 63
• Access and continuity: Canberra 67, Perth 75

Where Canberra is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 14 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (ACT Government / VisitCanberra (Tourism Research Australia International Visitor Survey), YE March 2023). At or below 15: grade 4/4.
• Unemployment rate: 2.6 % of the labour force (region figure) (CRJO / economy.id (compiled from ABS Labour Force Survey & Small Area Labour Markets), Q1 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Extreme heat days: 0.8 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: 0 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: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Tourism intensity: 27.6 visitor nights per resident per year (region figure) (ACT Government (Canberra.com.au) & Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2024). Between 20 and 40: grade 1/4.
• Rent growth: 3.2 % change in rents over the last 12 months (CoreLogic / Cotality via OpenAgent, 12 months to August 2026). Between 3 and 6: grade 3/4.

Where Perth is stronger

• Average length of stay: 6.5 nights per visitor (region figure) (Tourism Western Australia / Tourism Research Australia, WA Tourism Snapshot, YE March 2025). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 81.2 % average annual occupancy (Western Australian Government, New study highlights strong demand for Perth hotel market, 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 0.4 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (metro figure) (Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA) / REIA, Q1 2023). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (metro figure) (Tourism Western Australia / Transperth / Fremantle Ports, 2024). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (Tourism Council WA & Tourism Western Australia, 2023–2024). Grade 2/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Australia: #4 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Australia: #4 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Canberra in full · Perth in full

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