Cali vs Cartagena

Cali leads Cartagena by 4 points on the TRAIL Index, 60 to 56. Cali grades better on 8 measures, Cartagena on 4; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Cali 60, Cartagena 56
• OECD: Cali 63, Cartagena 55
• UN Tourism: Cali 64, Cartagena 64
• UNDRR: Cali 55, Cartagena 50

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Cali 56, Cartagena 69
• Economy and jobs: Cali 50, Cartagena 31
• Climate and hazards: Cali 60, Cartagena 40
• Water and environment: Cali 75, Cartagena 83
• Community and housing: Cali 83, Cartagena 50
• Access and continuity: Cali 46, Cartagena 50

Where Cali is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 92.1 % of nights by residents of the same country (Secretaría de Turismo de Cali / SITUR Valle del Cauca via Concejo de Cali (Radicado 202541720100005711), December 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Jobs in tourism industries: 7.5 % of employment in accommodation and food services (DANE - Gran Encuesta Integrada de Hogares (GEIH) / PNUD Mercado Laboral Cali, 2023). At or below 8: grade 4/4.
• Unemployment rate: 8.6 % of the labour force (metro figure) (Cámara de Comercio de Cali / DANE - GEIH, March–May 2026). Between 8 and 12: grade 2/4.
• Tropical nights: 21.4 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 10 and 30: grade 3/4.
• Flood hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 308.2 kg per resident per year (Alcaldía de Santiago de Cali & Corporación Autónoma Regional del Valle del Cauca (CVC), 2023). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 0.6 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Airbtics / DANE Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda, 2025–2026). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4.

Where Cartagena is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 29.1 % of international arrivals or nights (El Universal / Corpoturismo (Corporación Turismo Cartagena de Indias), 2025). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 70 % average annual occupancy (Cotelco Capítulo Cartagena y Bolívar, 2023). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Aguas de Cartagena / Cartagena Cómo Vamos (Informe de Calidad de Vida 2025), 2025). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Cartagena, SACSA / Aerocivil, and INVIAS, 2024). Between 3 and 4: grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Colombia: #54 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Colombia: #54 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Cali in full · Cartagena in full

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