Cancún vs Houston

Houston leads Cancún by 1 points on the TRAIL Index, 67 to 66. Cancún grades better on 7 measures, Houston on 8; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Cancún 66, Houston 67
• OECD: Cancún 61, Houston 65
• UN Tourism: Cancún 62, Houston 66
• UNDRR: Cancún 70, Houston 67

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Cancún 75, Houston 75
• Economy and jobs: Cancún 42, Houston 92
• Climate and hazards: Cancún 45, Houston 40
• Water and environment: Cancún 44, Houston 50
• Community and housing: Cancún 75, Houston 67
• Access and continuity: Cancún 83, Houston 79

Where Cancún is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 35.2 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Secretaría de Turismo del Estado de Quintana Roo (SEDETUR) & CPTQ, ¿Cómo vamos en turismo?, 2023). Between 30 and 40: grade 1/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 72.8 % average annual occupancy (Secretaría de Turismo del Gobierno del Estado de Quintana Roo (SEDETUR), SITUR-Q, 2025). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
• Unemployment rate: 3.2 % of the labour force (metro figure) (INEGI (Encuesta Nacional de Ocupación y Empleo - ENOE), Q4 2025). At or below 5: 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.
• Municipal waste per resident: 454.4 kg per resident per year (SEMARNAT & GIZ, Informe de resultados en el municipio de Benito Juárez, Quintana Roo, 2020). Between 450 and 550: grade 2/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Secretaría de Infraestructura, Comunicaciones y Transportes (SICT) / Tren Maya / ASUR, 2024). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan tested in an exercise or a real event, with lessons published (Gobierno del Estado de Quintana Roo / SEDETUR, 2024). Grade 4/4.

Where Houston is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 97.6 % of nights by residents of the same country (Houston First Corporation / City of Houston (Tourism Economics study), 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Jobs in tourism industries: 6.3 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Research by World Travel & Tourism Council; Travel & Tourism by World Travel & Tourism Council), 2026). At or below 8: grade 4/4.
• Income per head: 72,453 GDP per capita, USD PPP (metro figure) (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), 2023). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4.
• Country disaster risk: 3.3 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.
• Wastewater safely treated: 98.1 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (United Nations Statistics Division / WHO / UN-Habitat, SDG Indicator 6.3.1, 2024). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: -2.5 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Apartment List, Houston Rent Report: September 2026, August 2025–August 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Government effectiveness: 84 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). At or above 80: grade 4/4.
• Travel advisory: 1 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). At or below 1: grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Mexico: #41 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• United States: #2 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Cancún in full · Houston in full

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