New York vs Vancouver

New York leads Vancouver by 2 points on the CIRA Index, 80 to 78. New York grades better on 6 measures, Vancouver on 6; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: New York 80, Vancouver 78
• OECD: New York 81, Vancouver 77
• UN Tourism: New York 81, Vancouver 76
• UNDRR: New York 75, Vancouver 75

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: New York 90, Vancouver 70
• Economy and jobs: New York 100, Vancouver 92
• Climate and hazards: New York 75, Vancouver 70
• Water and environment: New York 75, Vancouver 63
• Community and housing: New York 75, Vancouver 83
• Access and continuity: New York 75, Vancouver 92

Where New York is stronger

• Nights in the three busiest months: 28.4 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2024, 2025 moving average). At or below 30: grade 4/4.
• Largest foreign market: 8.5 % of international arrivals or nights (NYC Tourism + Conventions / Office of the Mayor of New York City, 2024). At or below 15: grade 4/4.
• Unemployment rate: 4.8 % of the labour force (New York State Department of Labor, August 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Flood hazard: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 99.7 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (NYC Mayor's Management Report, Department of Environmental Protection, FY 2025). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 0.1 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (NYC Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement / U.S. Census Bureau 2024 ACS, June 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.

Where Vancouver is stronger

• Average length of stay: 3.1 nights per visitor (region figure) (Destination British Columbia, Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Regional Tourism Profile (using Environics Analytics Data Tabulation / Statistics Canada NTS), 2023). Between 2.8 and 3.5: grade 3/4.
• Tropical nights: 1.4 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.
• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: 2.2 % change in rents over the last 12 months (metro figure) (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), Rental Market Survey / Daily Hive, 2025). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Destination BC & Destination Canada, Crisis & Emergency Planning Framework, 2024–2025). Grade 3/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Province of British Columbia & Destination BC, Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT) Program, 2024–2025). Grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• United States: #2 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Canada: #14 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

New York in full · Vancouver in full

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