Cancún vs Honolulu

Cancún leads Honolulu by 1 points on the CIRA Index, 66 to 65. Cancún grades better on 3 measures, Honolulu on 9; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Cancún 66, Honolulu 65
• OECD: Cancún 61, Honolulu 64
• UN Tourism: Cancún 62, Honolulu 65
• UNDRR: Cancún 70, Honolulu 78

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Cancún 75, Honolulu 71
• Economy and jobs: Cancún 42, Honolulu 75
• Climate and hazards: Cancún 45, Honolulu 50
• Water and environment: Cancún 44, Honolulu 50
• Community and housing: Cancún 75, Honolulu 38
• Access and continuity: Cancún 83, Honolulu 96

Where Cancún is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 35.2 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Secretaría de Turismo del Estado de Quintana Roo (SEDETUR) & CPTQ, ¿Cómo vamos en turismo?, 2023). Between 30 and 40: grade 1/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 454.4 kg per resident per year (SEMARNAT & GIZ, Informe de resultados en el municipio de Benito Juárez, Quintana Roo, 2020). Between 450 and 550: grade 2/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Secretaría de Infraestructura, Comunicaciones y Transportes (SICT) / Tren Maya / ASUR, 2024). At or above 4: grade 4/4.

Where Honolulu is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 75.3 % of nights by residents of the same country (metro figure) (Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), State of Hawaii Data Book 2024, Table 7.06: Average Daily Visitor Census, by County and Island, 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Jobs in tourism industries: 16.2 % of employment in accommodation and food services (metro figure) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, July 2026). Between 16 and 22: grade 1/4.
• Income per head: 90,027 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4.
• Country disaster risk: 3.3 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 2 and 3.5: grade 3/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 98.1 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: SDG Indicators Database by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs), 2024). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Green space: 22 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Trees for Honolulu's Future / Honolulu Civil Beat, 2025). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Government effectiveness: 84 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). At or above 80: grade 4/4.
• 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 plus a reserve or stabilisation fund for downturns (City and County of Honolulu & State of Hawaii Department of Budget and Finance, 2024–2026). Grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Mexico: #41 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• United States: #2 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Cancún in full · Honolulu in full

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