Ottawa vs Vancouver

Vancouver leads Ottawa by 3 points on the CIRA Index, 78 to 75. Ottawa grades better on 3 measures, Vancouver on 7; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Ottawa 75, Vancouver 78
• OECD: Ottawa 73, Vancouver 77
• UN Tourism: Ottawa 74, Vancouver 76
• UNDRR: Ottawa 68, Vancouver 75

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Ottawa 55, Vancouver 70
• Economy and jobs: Ottawa 92, Vancouver 92
• Climate and hazards: Ottawa 70, Vancouver 70
• Water and environment: Ottawa 69, Vancouver 63
• Community and housing: Ottawa 92, Vancouver 83
• Access and continuity: Ottawa 79, Vancouver 92

Where Ottawa is stronger

• Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 249 kg per resident per year (region figure) (Statistics Canada, Waste Management Survey, 2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 0.5 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA / Statistics Canada (2021 Census), 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.

Where Vancouver is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 29 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Destination British Columbia, Regional Tourism Profile: Vancouver, Coast & Mountains, 2024). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 78.4 % average annual occupancy (metro figure) (CoStar / STR, Canada hotels post record-setting performance in 2025, 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• 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.
• 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.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (metro figure) (Transport Canada, Western Canada Transportation Infrastructure, 2024–2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated, tested plan that names visitors and tourism operators, with warnings in several languages (City of Vancouver & Destination BC, Emergency Preparedness and Response, 2024–2026). 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.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

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

Ottawa in full · Vancouver in full

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