Minsk vs Saint Petersburg

Minsk and Saint Petersburg are level on the CIRA Index at 40. Minsk grades better on 5 measures, Saint Petersburg on 11; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Minsk 40, Saint Petersburg 40
• OECD: Minsk 62, Saint Petersburg 75
• UN Tourism: Minsk 71, Saint Petersburg 76
• UNDRR: Minsk 50, Saint Petersburg 63

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Minsk 58, Saint Petersburg 80
• Economy and jobs: Minsk 75, Saint Petersburg 83
• Climate and hazards: Minsk 75, Saint Petersburg 75
• Water and environment: Minsk 88, Saint Petersburg 69
• Community and housing: Minsk 75, Saint Petersburg 100
• Access and continuity: Minsk 21, Saint Petersburg 46

Where Minsk is stronger

• Average length of stay: 4 nights per visitor (country figure) (National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus (Belstat) / BelTA, 2025). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Flood hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Country disaster risk: 2.4 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 2 and 3.5: grade 3/4.
• Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Green space: 42.1 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (National Sustainable Development Coordination / Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus, 2024). At or above 40: grade 4/4.

Where Saint Petersburg is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 92.8 % of nights by residents of the same country (Saint Petersburg Tourism Development Committee / Turbarometer of Saint Petersburg, 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 62.1 % average annual occupancy (Hotel Advisors / Fontanka, Jan–Aug 2026). Between 55 and 65: grade 2/4.
• Income per head: 49,568 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Between 45,000 and 60,000: grade 3/4.
• Wildfire and storm hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 316 kg per resident per year (Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of St. Petersburg / Committee for Nature Management of St. Petersburg & Rosstat, 2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: 2 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Dom.RF / NSP.ru, April 2025 – April 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Administration of St. Petersburg / Transport Complex of Saint Petersburg, 2024). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Government of Saint Petersburg, Decree No. 452, 2024–2025). Grade 3/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Saint Petersburg Committee for Tourism Development, 2024). Grade 1/4.
• Government effectiveness: 29.7 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). Between 20 and 40: grade 1/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Law of Saint Petersburg No. 419-81 & Russian Federal Tax Code Chapter 33.1, 2024–2025). Grade 2/4.

Minsk in full · Saint Petersburg in full

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