Panama City vs Tijuana

Panama City and Tijuana are level on the TRAIL Index at 58. Panama City grades better on 6 measures, Tijuana on 8; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Panama City 58, Tijuana 58
• OECD: Panama City 55, Tijuana 56
• UN Tourism: Panama City 61, Tijuana 54
• UNDRR: Panama City 56, Tijuana 45

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Panama City 67, Tijuana 45
• Economy and jobs: Panama City 50, Tijuana 63
• Climate and hazards: Panama City 40, Tijuana 65
• Water and environment: Panama City 58, Tijuana 44
• Community and housing: Panama City 42, Tijuana 100
• Access and continuity: Panama City 67, Tijuana 50

Where Panama City is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 23.6 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá (ATP), Jan–Jun 2025). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Average length of stay: 8 nights per visitor (country figure) (Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá (ATP), 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Income per head: 43,902 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Between 30,000 and 45,000: grade 2/4.
• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (GLP International Sales / Panama Canal Authority & Metro de Panamá, 2024). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá (ATP), 2020–2025). Grade 2/4.

Where Tijuana is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 32 % of nights by residents of the same country (Observatorio Turístico de Baja California (OTBC) / Secretaría de Turismo del Estado de Baja California, Perfil del turista de Tijuana, 2020). Between 25 and 35: grade 2/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 66.2 % average annual occupancy (SECTUR / DATATUR via Agencia Fronteriza de Noticias, 2025). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
• Unemployment rate: 2.5 % of the labour force (INEGI, Encuesta Nacional de Ocupación y Empleo (ENOE), Q1 2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• 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.
• Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• 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.
• Short-let density: 0.4 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA & INEGI (via El Mexicano / Censo), 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Panama: #65 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Mexico: #41 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Panama City in full · Tijuana in full

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