Cancún vs Tijuana

Cancún leads Tijuana by 8 points on the TRAIL Index, 66 to 58. Cancún grades better on 9 measures, Tijuana on 4; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Cancún 66, Tijuana 58
• OECD: Cancún 61, Tijuana 56
• UN Tourism: Cancún 62, Tijuana 54
• UNDRR: Cancún 70, Tijuana 45

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Cancún 75, Tijuana 45
• Economy and jobs: Cancún 42, Tijuana 63
• Climate and hazards: Cancún 45, Tijuana 65
• Water and environment: Cancún 44, Tijuana 44
• Community and housing: Cancún 75, Tijuana 100
• Access and continuity: Cancún 83, Tijuana 50

Where Cancún is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 37.4 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Secretaría de Turismo del Estado de Quintana Roo (SEDETUR) & CPTQ, ¿Cómo vamos en turismo?, 2023). Between 35 and 45: grade 3/4.
• 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.
• Average length of stay: 5 nights per visitor (Secretaría de Turismo del Estado de Quintana Roo (SEDETUR) via Cancun Tourism Statistics Report, 2019). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Green space: 10.9 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Gobierno del Estado de Quintana Roo (SEMA), Modelo de Ordenamiento Ecológico Local del Municipio de Benito Juárez - UGA 21 Zona Urbana de Cancún, 2013). Between 10 and 20: grade 1/4.
• 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.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated, tested plan that names visitors and tourism operators, with warnings in several languages (Secretaría de Turismo de Quintana Roo (SEDETUR) / Guest Assist, 2024). 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.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Municipio de Benito Juárez & Gobierno del Estado de Quintana Roo (Ley de Hacienda / Ley de Derechos), 2024). Grade 3/4.

Where Tijuana is stronger

• Jobs in tourism industries: 8.3 % of employment in accommodation and food services (region figure) (Gobierno del Estado de Baja California / INEGI, Boletín Mensual de Información Económica y Laboral, 2025-Q2). Between 8 and 12: grade 3/4.
• Tropical nights: 7.4 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 10: grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 346.7 kg per resident per year (IMPLAN Tijuana (Instituto Metropolitano de Planeación de Tijuana) & Dirección de Servicios Públicos Municipales, Tijuana Ciudad Limpia 2025-2027, 2023). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: -9 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Mercado Libre Inmuebles via TheLatinvestor, 2025). At or below 3: grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

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

Cancún in full · Tijuana in full

The TRAIL Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · TRAIL Studio · Put your city in the pilot