Havana vs Higüey

Havana leads Higüey by 3 points on the CIRA Index, 57 to 54. Havana grades better on 8 measures, Higüey on 8; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Havana 57, Higüey 54
• OECD: Havana 49, Higüey 55
• UN Tourism: Havana 65, Higüey 53
• UNDRR: Havana 57, Higüey 52

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Havana 29, Higüey 79
• Economy and jobs: Havana 63, Higüey 67
• Climate and hazards: Havana 40, Higüey 40
• Water and environment: Havana 67, Higüey 42
• Community and housing: Havana 75, Higüey 50
• Access and continuity: Havana 58, Higüey 50

Where Havana is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 38.3 % of nights by residents of the same country (country figure) (Oficina Nacional de Estadística e Información (ONEI) via Periódico Girón, Jan–Sep 2025). Between 35 and 45: grade 3/4.
• Unemployment rate: 1.8 % of the labour force (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Country disaster risk: 3.5 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.
• Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 52 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (Oficina Nacional de Estadística e Información (ONEI) via Diario de Cuba / INRH, 2024). Between 50 and 70: grade 1/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 225.9 kg per resident per year (Revista Universidad de La Habana / ONEI, 2021). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (CubaTravel (Ministry of Tourism) & World Travel Guide, 2024–2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated, tested plan that names visitors and tourism operators, with warnings in several languages (UNDRR & PreventionWeb, ALNAP Disaster Risk Reduction Case Studies, 2024–2026). Grade 4/4.

Where Higüey is stronger

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Dominican Republic: #66 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Havana in full · Higüey in full

The CIRA Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · CIRA Studio · Put your city in the pilot