Jeddah vs Medina
Jeddah leads Medina by 4 points on the CIRA Index, 60 to 56. Jeddah grades better on 5 measures, Medina on 1; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- CIRA Index: Jeddah 60, Medina 56
- OECD: Jeddah 60, Medina 55
- UN Tourism: Jeddah 60, Medina 51
- UNDRR: Jeddah 46, Medina 39
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Jeddah 88, Medina 92
- Economy and jobs: Jeddah 92, Medina 67
- Climate and hazards: Jeddah 40, Medina 40
- Water and environment: Jeddah 38, Medina 31
- Community and housing: Jeddah 63, Medina 63
- Access and continuity: Jeddah 46, Medina 38
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.
- Municipal waste per resident: 511 kg per resident per year (MDPI / King Abdulaziz University study via Mordor Intelligence and Case Studies on Saudi Arabia Provinces, 2024). Between 450 and 550: grade 2/4.
- 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.
- Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Gulf Cooperation Council / Saudi Ministry of Tourism, 2026). Grade 1/4.
Where Medina is stronger
- Hotel bed or room occupancy: 75 % average annual occupancy (Almqr Development Company / Saudi Press Agency (SPA), 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
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 · Medina in full
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