London vs Paris

London leads Paris by 7 points on the CIRA Index, 77 to 70. London grades better on 7 measures, Paris on 3; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: London 77, Paris 70
• OECD: London 76, Paris 73
• UN Tourism: London 81, Paris 72
• UNDRR: London 71, Paris 66

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: London 79, Paris 88
• Economy and jobs: London 88, Paris 92
• Climate and hazards: London 65, Paris 65
• Water and environment: London 88, Paris 63
• Community and housing: London 58, Paris 50
• Access and continuity: London 75, Paris 75

Where London is stronger

• Average length of stay: 4.3 nights per visitor (Greater London Authority (GLA Economics), A snapshot of tourist accommodation in London, 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 98.8 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (UN-Water / WHO / UN-Habitat, Progress on the proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated (2024), 2022). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Green space: 49.5 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Greater London Authority, London Green and Blue Cover, 2019). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: 2.2 % change in rents over the last 12 months (region figure) (Office for National Statistics (ONS), Private rent and house prices, UK: July 2026, 12 months to June 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Transport for London / Port of London Authority, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (London & Partners & Mayor of London, 2022–2025). Grade 3/4.

Where Paris is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 46 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (INSEE Flash Île-de-France, 'Un an après les Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques, le tourisme francilien au plus haut en 2025', 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Recovery against 2019: 110.3 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Insee, Overnight stays - Total - In hotels - Paris (Series 010607170), 2025). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Service-Public France & City of Paris, Changes in 2026 in the tourist tax in Paris, 2025–2026). Grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• United Kingdom: #7 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• France: #5 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

London in full · Paris in full

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