Jeddah vs Mecca

Jeddah and Mecca are level on the CIRA Index at 60. Jeddah grades better on 3 measures, Mecca on 5; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Jeddah 60, Mecca 60
• OECD: Jeddah 60, Mecca 66
• UN Tourism: Jeddah 60, Mecca 64
• UNDRR: Jeddah 46, Mecca 69

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Jeddah 88, Mecca 80
• Economy and jobs: Jeddah 92, Mecca 75
• Climate and hazards: Jeddah 40, Mecca 40
• Water and environment: Jeddah 38, Mecca 50
• Community and housing: Jeddah 63, Mecca 75
• Access and continuity: Jeddah 46, Mecca 71

Where Jeddah is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 50.7 % of nights by residents of the same country (country figure) (Ministry of Economy & Planning / DataSaudi, 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Unemployment rate: 3.1 % of the labour force (country figure) (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Labour Force Survey, Q1 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Saudi Press Agency & General Authority of Civil Aviation, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.

Where Mecca is stronger

• Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (UN-Habitat & Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MoMRA), Future Saudi Cities Programme - CPI Profile Makkah, 2017). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Green space: 17.1 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (region figure) (Saudi National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification via Arab News, 2023). Between 10 and 20: grade 1/4.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated, tested plan that names visitors and tourism operators, with warnings in several languages (Saudi Civil Defence / National Early Warning Platform, 2026). Grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan tested in an exercise or a real event, with lessons published (Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah / Preprints - Mass Gathering Medicine and Crisis Management Review, 2024–2025). Grade 4/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Saudi Tourism Development Fund (TDF) / Saudi Ministry of Tourism, 2020-2026). Grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Saudi Arabia: #29 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Saudi Arabia: #29 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Jeddah in full · Mecca in full

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