Cartagena vs Fortaleza

Fortaleza leads Cartagena by 1 points on the TRAIL Index, 57 to 56. Cartagena grades better on 7 measures, Fortaleza on 6; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Cartagena 56, Fortaleza 57
• OECD: Cartagena 55, Fortaleza 54
• UN Tourism: Cartagena 64, Fortaleza 53
• UNDRR: Cartagena 50, Fortaleza 43

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Cartagena 69, Fortaleza 75
• Economy and jobs: Cartagena 31, Fortaleza 58
• Climate and hazards: Cartagena 40, Fortaleza 45
• Water and environment: Cartagena 83, Fortaleza 38
• Community and housing: Cartagena 50, Fortaleza 63
• Access and continuity: Cartagena 50, Fortaleza 50

Where Cartagena is stronger

• Nights in the three busiest months: 30.4 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2024, 2025 moving average). Between 30 and 35: grade 3/4.
• Income per head: 23,580 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Economic Outlook, 2026). Between 15,000 and 30,000: grade 1/4.
• 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.
• Municipal waste per resident: 449 kg per resident per year (Alcaldía de Cartagena / Concejo Distrital de Cartagena (Citado en Sala Redacción AI), 2024). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4.
• Rent growth: 5 % change in rents over the last 12 months (country figure) (DANE (Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística), Boletín técnico IPC, August 2025 – August 2026). Between 3 and 6: grade 3/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Corporación Turismo Cartagena de Indias (Corpoturismo) / Alcaldía de Cartagena, 2024). Grade 1/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo (MINCIT) & FONTUR Colombia, 2024). Grade 2/4.

Where Fortaleza is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 97.9 % of nights by residents of the same country (Secretaria Municipal do Turismo de Fortaleza (Setfor) / Observatório do Turismo de Fortaleza & Embratur, H1 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Jobs in tourism industries: 3.1 % 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.
• Unemployment rate: 7.8 % of the labour force (IBGE - Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios Contínua (PNAD Contínua), Q3 2024). Between 5 and 8: grade 3/4.
• Country disaster risk: 4.7 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 3.5 and 5: grade 2/4.
• Short-let density: 0.4 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA & IBGE, August 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.
• Travel advisory: 2 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). Between 1 and 2: grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Colombia: #54 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Brazil: #32 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Cartagena in full · Fortaleza in full

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