Douala vs Garoua

Douala leads Garoua by 11 points on the CIRA Index, 49 to 38. Douala grades better on 4 measures, Garoua on 3; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Douala 49, Garoua 38
• OECD: Douala 44, Garoua 39
• UN Tourism: Douala 50, Garoua 56
• UNDRR: Douala 35, Garoua 28

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Douala 50, Garoua 33
• Economy and jobs: Douala 42, Garoua 67
• Climate and hazards: Douala 30, Garoua 10
• Water and environment: Douala 50, Garoua 75
• Community and housing: Douala 75, Garoua –
• Access and continuity: Douala 42, Garoua 33

Where Douala is stronger

• Average length of stay: 2.4 nights per visitor (region figure) (Ministère du Tourisme et des Loisirs (MINTOUL) / Institut National de la Statistique (INS) - Annuaire des statistiques du tourisme et des loisirs, 2016). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4.
• Extreme heat days: 2.4 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.
• Access redundancy: 2 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Aéroports du Cameroun (ADC) / Camrail / Port Autonome de Douala, 2025–2026). Between 2 and 3: grade 2/4.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Cameroon-Tribune, December 2025). Grade 3/4.

Where Garoua is stronger

• Unemployment rate: 3.6 % of the labour force (country figure) (World Bank / ILOSTAT, 2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 52.4 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (United Nations Statistics Division / WHO / UN-Habitat SDG 6 Country Profiles, 2024). Between 50 and 70: grade 1/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Direction Générale des Impôts & Direction Générale du Budget du Cameroun, Code Général des Impôts (Article 223) / PPA des Comptes d'Affectation Spéciale, 2024). Grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Cameroon: #108 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Cameroon: #108 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Douala in full · Garoua in full

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