Cartagena

Cartagena, Colombia, scores 56 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #198 of 309 destinations. 24 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 83% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: 56
• OECD: 55
• UN Tourism: 64
• UNDRR: 50

Strongest

• Extreme heat days: 3.2 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.
• Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Aguas de Cartagena / Cartagena Cómo Vamos (Informe de Calidad de Vida 2025), 2025). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 449 kg per resident per year (Alcaldía de Cartagena / Concejo Distrital de Cartagena (Citado en Sala Redacción AI), 2024). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4.

Weakest

• Tropical nights: 365.2 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Above 100: grade 0/4.
• Travel advisory: 3 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). Between 2.5 and 3: grade 1/4.
• Country disaster risk: 5.3 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 5 and 6.5: grade 1/4.

Colombia in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

Colombia is #54 of 110 countries (4.13 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 59 on the CIRA Index; Cartagena is 3 below that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 69

• Nights in the three busiest months: 30.4 % 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. Source
• Domestic share of nights: 37.1 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Cotelco Cartagena y Bolívar / El Universal, Jan–Jul 2024). Between 35 and 45: grade 3/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 29.1 % of international arrivals or nights (El Universal / Corpoturismo (Corporación Turismo Cartagena de Indias), 2025). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: not measured yet
• Average length of stay: not measured yet
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 70 % average annual occupancy (Cotelco Capítulo Cartagena y Bolívar, 2023). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 31

• Jobs in tourism industries: 13 % of employment in accommodation and food services (Alcaldía Mayor de Cartagena de Indias / DANE GEIH, March–May 2025). Between 12 and 16: grade 2/4. Source
• Unemployment rate: 13.2 % of the labour force (DANE via El Universal, April–June 2026). Between 12 and 18: grade 1/4. Source
• Income per head: 23,580 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Economic Outlook, 2026). Between 15,000 and 30,000: grade 1/4. Source
• Economic diversity: 55.3 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (Cartagena Cómo Vamos / DANE (GEIH) via El Universal, 2024). Between 55 and 64: grade 1/4. Source

Climate and hazards: 40

• Extreme heat days: 3.2 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. Source
• Tropical nights: 365.2 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Above 100: grade 0/4. Source
• Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4. Source
• Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
• Country disaster risk: 5.3 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 5 and 6.5: grade 1/4. Source

Water and environment: 83

• Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4. Source
• Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Aguas de Cartagena / Cartagena Cómo Vamos (Informe de Calidad de Vida 2025), 2025). At or above 95: grade 4/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 449 kg per resident per year (Alcaldía de Cartagena / Concejo Distrital de Cartagena (Citado en Sala Redacción AI), 2024). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4. Source
• Green space: not measured yet

Community and housing: 50

• Tourism intensity: not measured yet
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: 5 % change in rents over the last 12 months (country figure) (DANE (Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística), Boletín técnico IPC, August 2025 – August 2026). Between 3 and 6: grade 3/4. Source
• Short-let density: 2.8 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA and DANE / Cartagena Cómo Vamos, 2026). Between 2 and 4: grade 1/4. Source
• Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 50

• Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Cartagena, SACSA / Aerocivil, and INVIAS, 2024). Between 3 and 4: grade 3/4. Source
• Air traffic recovery: not measured yet
• Rail share of intercity access: not measured yet
• Rail traffic recovery: not measured yet
• Largest airline group share: not measured yet
• Air route concentration: not measured yet
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Alcaldía Mayor de Cartagena de Indias / Oficina Asesora para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres (OAGRD), 2023–2024). Grade 3/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Corporación Turismo Cartagena de Indias (Corpoturismo) / Alcaldía de Cartagena, 2024). Grade 1/4. Source
• Government effectiveness: 42.9 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). Between 40 and 60: grade 2/4. Source
• Travel advisory: 3 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). Between 2.5 and 3: grade 1/4. Source
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo (MINCIT) & FONTUR Colombia, 2024). Grade 2/4. Source

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