Higüey

Higüey, Dominican Republic, scores 54 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #214 of 309 destinations. 25 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 67% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: 54
• OECD: 55
• UN Tourism: 53
• UNDRR: 52

Strongest

• Extreme heat days: 0 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.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 81.9 % average annual occupancy (region figure) (Banco Central de la República Dominicana, Informe de la Economía Dominicana 2024 / ASONAHORES, 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Nights in the three busiest months: 29.8 % 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.

Weakest

• Wastewater safely treated: 40 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (WHO / UN-Habitat / UN Statistics Division (SDG Indicator 6.3.1) via WHO Data & Our World in Data, 2024). Below 50: grade 0/4.
• Short-let density: 4.5 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (region figure) (AirDNA & Oficina Nacional de Estadística (ONE - X Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda 2022), August 2026). Above 4: grade 0/4.
• Tropical nights: 352.4 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.

Dominican Republic in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

Dominican Republic is #66 of 110 countries (3.93 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 57 on the CIRA Index; Higüey is 3 below that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 79

• Nights in the three busiest months: 29.8 % 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. Source
• Domestic share of nights: 26.7 % of nights by residents of the same country (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Research by World Travel & Tourism Council; Travel & Tourism by World Travel & Tourism Council), 2026). Between 25 and 35: grade 2/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 37.2 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Ministerio de Turismo de la República Dominicana (MITUR / SITUR), Informe Punta Cana - Bávaro, 2024). Between 30 and 40: grade 1/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: 133 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (country figure) (ASONAHORES / ONE / Arecoa, 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4. Source
• Average length of stay: 8 nights per visitor (country figure) (Banco Central de la República Dominicana, Gasto y estadía promedio de turistas no residentes, 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 81.9 % average annual occupancy (region figure) (Banco Central de la República Dominicana, Informe de la Economía Dominicana 2024 / ASONAHORES, 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 67

• Jobs in tourism industries: 8 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Research by World Travel & Tourism Council; Travel & Tourism by World Travel & Tourism Council), 2026). At or below 8: grade 4/4. Source
• Unemployment rate: 5.3 % of the labour force (country figure) (Banco Central de la República Dominicana (ENCFT), Q2 2026). Between 5 and 8: grade 3/4. Source
• Income per head: 24,543 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank, World Development Indicators, 2025). Between 15,000 and 30,000: grade 1/4. Source
• Economic diversity: not measured yet

Climate and hazards: 40

• Extreme heat days: 0 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: 352.4 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: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
• Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
• Country disaster risk: 4.4 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 3.5 and 5: grade 2/4. Source

Water and environment: 42

• Water scarcity: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4. Source
• Wastewater safely treated: 40 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (WHO / UN-Habitat / UN Statistics Division (SDG Indicator 6.3.1) via WHO Data & Our World in Data, 2024). Below 50: grade 0/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 394.2 kg per resident per year (country figure) (World Bank, What a Waste 2.0 / Silver (Dominican Republic), 2018). 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: 2.6 % change in rents over the last 12 months (country figure) (Banco Central de la República Dominicana, Informe Índice de Precios al Consumidor (IPC), March 2025 – March 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4. Source
• Short-let density: 4.5 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (region figure) (AirDNA & Oficina Nacional de Estadística (ONE - X Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda 2022), August 2026). Above 4: grade 0/4. Source
• Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 50

• Access redundancy: 1 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism (MITUR), 2024). Between 1 and 2: grade 1/4. 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: A national system only; no city plan found (Ayuntamiento Municipal de Higüey, 2024). Grade 1/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Presidencia de la República Dominicana / MITUR, 2020). Grade 3/4. Source
• Government effectiveness: 48.1 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: 2 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 1 and 2: grade 3/4. Source
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Congreso Nacional de la República Dominicana / Consejo de Fomento Turístico (CONFOTUR), 2024). Grade 2/4. Source

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