Havana vs Panama City

Panama City leads Havana by 1 points on the CIRA Index, 58 to 57. Havana grades better on 6 measures, Panama City on 10; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Havana 57, Panama City 58
• OECD: Havana 49, Panama City 55
• UN Tourism: Havana 65, Panama City 61
• UNDRR: Havana 57, Panama City 56

Theme by theme

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

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Open Jaw & Ministry of Tourism of Cuba (MINTUR), 2025–2026). Grade 3/4.

Where Panama City is stronger

• Nights in the three busiest months: 29.4 % 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: 23.6 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá (ATP), Jan–Jun 2025). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Recovery against 2019: 111.6 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (country figure) (Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá (ATP) / Contraloría General de la República via Road Genius & La Prensa, 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 51 % average annual occupancy (country figure) (Asociación Panameña de Hoteles (Apatel) / Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá via Prensa Latina, 2024). Between 45 and 55: grade 1/4.
• Income per head: 43,902 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Between 30,000 and 45,000: grade 2/4.
• 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.
• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Government effectiveness: 57.1 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 (Gaceta Oficial Digital de Panamá / PROMTUR Panamá, 2024). Grade 2/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Panama: #65 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Havana in full · Panama City in full

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