Buenos Aires vs Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro leads Buenos Aires by 3 points on the TRAIL Index, 57 to 54. Buenos Aires grades better on 10 measures, Rio de Janeiro on 8; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Buenos Aires 54, Rio de Janeiro 57
• OECD: Buenos Aires 55, Rio de Janeiro 55
• UN Tourism: Buenos Aires 53, Rio de Janeiro 63
• UNDRR: Buenos Aires 51, Rio de Janeiro 46

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Buenos Aires 60, Rio de Janeiro 70
• Economy and jobs: Buenos Aires 75, Rio de Janeiro 58
• Climate and hazards: Buenos Aires 45, Rio de Janeiro 40
• Water and environment: Buenos Aires 31, Rio de Janeiro 69
• Community and housing: Buenos Aires 50, Rio de Janeiro 38
• Access and continuity: Buenos Aires 71, Rio de Janeiro 54

Where Buenos Aires is stronger

• Nights in the three busiest months: 33.8 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2024, 2025 moving average). Between 30 and 35: grade 3/4.
• Largest foreign market: 25 % of international arrivals or nights (Ente de Turismo del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Jan–Nov 2023). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Unemployment rate: 5.8 % of the labour force (Instituto de Estadística y Censos de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (IDECBA), Encuesta Anual de Hogares (EAH), 2025). Between 5 and 8: grade 3/4.
• Income per head: 32,587 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Between 30,000 and 45,000: grade 2/4.
• Extreme heat days: 3.6 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: 75 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 60 and 100: grade 1/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (metro figure) (Organismo Regulador del Sistema Nacional de Aeropuertos (ORSNA), Trenes Argentinos, Administración General de Puertos (AGP), & Autopistas Urbanas S.A. (AUSA), 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Government effectiveness: 60.4 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). Between 60 and 80: grade 3/4.
• Travel advisory: 1 stricter of the US and Canadian government advisory for the country, 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel) (country figure) (US State Department and Government of Canada travel advisories, 2026-09-29). At or below 1: grade 4/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Boletín Oficial de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires - Ley 6278, 2025–2026). Grade 2/4.

Where Rio de Janeiro is stronger

• Average length of stay: 4.6 nights per visitor (Secretaria Municipal de Turismo do Rio de Janeiro (SMTUR-RIO) / Observatório do Turismo Carioca, 2025). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 68 % average annual occupancy (FOHB (Fórum de Operadores Hoteleiros do Brasil) & HotelInvest, Panorama da Hotelaria Brasileira 2025, 2024). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
• Wildfire and storm hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 54.8 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (region figure) (Instituto Trata Brasil / SNIS, 'Rio de Janeiro amplia serviço de tratamento de esgoto e mais que dobra investimento em saneamento por habitante', 2022). Between 50 and 70: grade 1/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 441.7 kg per resident per year (region figure) (Ministério das Cidades / SNIS, '18º Diagnóstico do Manejo de Resíduos Sólidos Urbanos', 2022). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4.
• Green space: 49 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index (HUGSI), 2024). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: 11.7 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Fipe - Fundação Instituto de Pesquisas Econômicas, Índice FipeZAP de Locação Residencial (Informe de Junho de 2026), July 2025–June 2026). Between 10 and 15: grade 1/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Argentina: #48 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Brazil: #32 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Buenos Aires in full · Rio de Janeiro in full

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