Kingston vs Managua

Kingston leads Managua by 4 points on the TRAIL Index, 50 to 46. Kingston grades better on 8 measures, Managua on 3; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Kingston 50, Managua 46
• OECD: Kingston 48, Managua 45
• UN Tourism: Kingston 45, Managua 50
• UNDRR: Kingston 59, Managua 37

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Kingston 35, Managua 60
• Economy and jobs: Kingston 63, Managua 63
• Climate and hazards: Kingston 50, Managua 35
• Water and environment: Kingston 33, Managua 58
• Community and housing: Kingston 25, Managua –
• Access and continuity: Kingston 67, Managua 21

Where Kingston is stronger

• Extreme heat days: 0.8 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.
• Wastewater safely treated: 52.4 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (UN-Water / SDG Country Profiles, Indicator 6.3.1, 2024). Between 50 and 70: grade 1/4.
• Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (PAC Kingston Airport Limited & Port Authority of Jamaica, 2024–2026). Between 3 and 4: grade 3/4.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) & Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC), 2024–2026). Grade 3/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, 2024–2026). Grade 3/4.
• Government effectiveness: 54.7 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). Between 40 and 60: grade 2/4.
• 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.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Ministry of Tourism Jamaica & Houses of Parliament, 2024–2025). Grade 2/4.

Where Managua is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 77.4 % of nights by residents of the same country (country figure) (Banco Central de Nicaragua (BCN) & Instituto Nicaragüense de Turismo (INTUR), Informe de resultados de la Cuenta Satélite de Turismo de Nicaragua en 2025, 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Largest foreign market: 30.8 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Instituto Nicaragüense de Turismo (INTUR), 2025). Between 30 and 40: grade 1/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 255.5 kg per resident per year (Revista Científica de FAREM-Estelí (UNAN-Managua), 'Características física y producción per cápita de los residuos sólidos generados por los habitantes del complejo Ciudad Belén, distrito VI del Munic, 2020). At or below 350: grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Jamaica: #78 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Nicaragua: #100 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Kingston in full · Managua in full

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