Bogotá vs Cartagena
Bogotá leads Cartagena by 4 points on the CIRA Index, 60 to 56. Bogotá grades better on 9 measures, Cartagena on 4; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- CIRA Index: Bogotá 60, Cartagena 56
- OECD: Bogotá 67, Cartagena 55
- UN Tourism: Bogotá 63, Cartagena 64
- UNDRR: Bogotá 53, Cartagena 50
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Bogotá 83, Cartagena 69
- Economy and jobs: Bogotá 63, Cartagena 31
- Climate and hazards: Bogotá 60, Cartagena 40
- Water and environment: Bogotá 56, Cartagena 83
- Community and housing: Bogotá 83, Cartagena 50
- Access and continuity: Bogotá 46, Cartagena 50
Where Bogotá is stronger
- Domestic share of nights: 86.5 % of nights by residents of the same country (Instituto Distrital de Turismo (IDT) - Observatorio de Turismo de Bogotá, Investigación Viajeros en Bogotá 2025, 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
- Largest foreign market: 16.8 % of international arrivals or nights (Instituto Distrital de Turismo (IDT) - Observatorio de Turismo de Bogotá, Boletín cifras de turismo en Bogotá (Diciembre 2025 - Enero 2026), 2025). Between 15 and 20: grade 3/4.
- Jobs in tourism industries: 6.2 % of employment in accommodation and food services (Instituto Distrital de Turismo (IDT) / DANE GEIH, Alojamiento y servicios de comida impulsa el empleo en Bogotá y el país, October–December 2024). At or below 8: grade 4/4.
- Unemployment rate: 9.7 % of the labour force (Secretaría Distrital de Desarrollo Económico / DANE (Gran Encuesta Integrada de Hogares - GEIH), 2024). Between 8 and 12: grade 2/4.
- Income per head: 31,510 GDP per capita, USD PPP (DANE (Cuentas Nacionales Departamentales) / World Bank International Comparison Program, 2022). Between 30,000 and 45,000: grade 2/4.
- Economic diversity: 66.8 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (Secretaría Distrital de Desarrollo Económico (SDDE) / DANE - Gran Encuesta Integrada de Hogares (GEIH), 2024). Between 64 and 72: grade 2/4.
- 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.
- Wildfire and storm hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
- Short-let density: 0.6 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Inside Airbnb & DANE Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda, 2024). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4.
Where Cartagena is stronger
- Hotel bed or room occupancy: 70 % average annual occupancy (Cotelco Capítulo Cartagena y Bolívar, 2023). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
- Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
- 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.
- 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.
Country context (World Economic Forum)
- Colombia: #54 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
- Colombia: #54 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
Bogotá in full · Cartagena in full
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