Medellín
Medellín, Colombia, scores 60 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #140 of 309 destinations. 25 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 85% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- CIRA Index: 60
- OECD: 67
- UN Tourism: 68
- UNDRR: 52
Travel advisory at level 3 (reconsider or avoid non-essential travel): the CIRA score is capped at 60. Without the cap: 66.
Strongest
- Average length of stay: 4.2 nights per visitor (El Colombiano / Sistema de Inteligencia Turística (SIT) de la Secretaría de Turismo y Entretenimiento, 2024–2025). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
- 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.
- Tropical nights: 0 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.
Weakest
- Tourism crisis and recovery plan: No tourism crisis or recovery plan found (Alcaldía de Medellín - Subsecretaría de Turismo / DAGRD, 2024–2026). 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; Medellín is 1 above that.
Every measure, by theme
Demand and seasonality: 65
- 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: 33 % of nights by residents of the same country (Secretaría de Turismo y Entretenimiento de Medellín - Sistema de Inteligencia Turística (SIT) via Marca Medellín, 2025). Between 25 and 35: grade 2/4. Source
- Largest foreign market: 39.1 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Gobernación de Antioquia / SITUR Antioquia - Cifras turísticas en Antioquia, 2024). Between 30 and 40: grade 1/4. Source
- Recovery against 2019: not measured yet
- Average length of stay: 4.2 nights per visitor (El Colombiano / Sistema de Inteligencia Turística (SIT) de la Secretaría de Turismo y Entretenimiento, 2024–2025). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
- Hotel bed or room occupancy: 66 % average annual occupancy (El Metro / Sistema de Inteligencia Turística (SIT) - Cotelco, 2025). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4. Source
Economy and jobs: 56
- Jobs in tourism industries: 7 % of employment in accommodation and food services (metro figure) (DANE (GEIH) via El Colombiano, July 2025). At or below 8: grade 4/4. Source
- Unemployment rate: 7 % of the labour force (metro figure) (DANE / Departamento Nacional de Planeación (DNP) - Mercado laboral urbano: Medellín, Q4 2024). Between 5 and 8: grade 3/4. Source
- Income per head: 22,640 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Between 15,000 and 30,000: grade 1/4. Source
- Economic diversity: 63.1 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (DANE - Gran Encuesta Integrada de Hogares (GEIH) Contrato Medellín, April–June 2024). Between 55 and 64: grade 1/4. Source
Climate and hazards: 80
- 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: 0 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. Source
- Flood hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4. Source
- Wildfire and storm hazard: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4. 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: 88
- Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4. Source
- Wastewater safely treated: 92.8 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (metro figure) (Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM), Informe de Gestión / Resultados 2025, 2025). Between 85 and 95: grade 3/4. Source
- Municipal waste per resident: 171.6 kg per resident per year (Vivir en El Poblado / Medellín Cómo Vamos, 2025). At or below 350: grade 4/4. Source
- Green space: 35 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index (HUGSI), 2025). Between 30 and 40: grade 3/4. Source
Community and housing: 50
- Tourism intensity: not measured yet
- Cruise pressure: not measured yet
- Rent growth: 8.7 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Ciencuadras / El Libertador via TheLatinvestor, 2025–2026). Between 6 and 10: grade 2/4. Source
- Short-let density: not measured yet
- Resident support for tourism: not measured yet
Access and continuity: 42
- Access redundancy: 2 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (metro figure) (Agencia Nacional de Infraestructura (ANI) & Aerocivil, 2024). Between 2 and 3: grade 2/4. 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 (Área Metropolitana del Valle de Aburrá & DAGRD - Sistema de Alerta Temprana de Medellín y el Valle de Aburrá (SIATA), 2025–2026). Grade 3/4. Source
- Tourism crisis and recovery plan: No tourism crisis or recovery plan found (Alcaldía de Medellín - Subsecretaría de Turismo / DAGRD, 2024–2026). Grade 0/4. 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 (Fondo Nacional de Turismo (FONTUR) Colombia, 2024–2026). Grade 2/4. Source
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