Daegu

Daegu, South Korea, scores 72 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #34 of 309 destinations. 26 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 85% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: 72
• OECD: 66
• UN Tourism: 81
• UNDRR: 59

Strongest

• Domestic share of nights: 92.9 % of nights by residents of the same country (Daegu Metropolitan City, Daegu Tourism Data Lab, 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Unemployment rate: 3.4 % of the labour force (Statistics Korea (Dongbuk Regional Statistics Office), Economically Active Population Survey (Annual Employment Trends for Daegu), 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: 1 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Korea Real Estate Board (한국부동산원) via Yeongnam Ilbo, Sep 2025–Sep 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.

Weakest

• Largest foreign market: 40.6 % of international arrivals or nights (Newsis / Daegu Metropolitan City, 2023). Above 40: grade 0/4.
• Recovery against 2019: 54.9 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Maeil Shinmun / Daegu Metropolitan City, 2024). Below 80: grade 0/4.
• Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4.

Korea, Rep. in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

Korea, Rep. is #12 of 110 countries (4.9 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 66 on the CIRA Index; Daegu is 6 above that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 50

• Nights in the three busiest months: 28.2 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2024, 2025 moving average). At or below 30: grade 4/4. Source
• Domestic share of nights: 92.9 % of nights by residents of the same country (Daegu Metropolitan City, Daegu Tourism Data Lab, 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 40.6 % of international arrivals or nights (Newsis / Daegu Metropolitan City, 2023). Above 40: grade 0/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: 54.9 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Maeil Shinmun / Daegu Metropolitan City, 2024). Below 80: grade 0/4. Source
• Average length of stay: 2.3 nights per visitor (Daegu Policy Institute (대구정책연구원), 'Research on the Direction of Daegu Tourism Policy Based on Tourism Data', 2024). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4. Source
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 62.4 % average annual occupancy (Korea Hotel Association (via Daum / media reporting), 2024). Between 55 and 65: grade 2/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 83

• Jobs in tourism industries: 1.9 % 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. Source
• Unemployment rate: 3.4 % of the labour force (Statistics Korea (Dongbuk Regional Statistics Office), Economically Active Population Survey (Annual Employment Trends for Daegu), 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
• Income per head: 39,933 GDP per capita, USD PPP (Statistics Korea (GRDP Accounts via regional statistical compilations), 2024). Between 30,000 and 45,000: grade 2/4. Source
• Economic diversity: not measured yet

Climate and hazards: 45

• Extreme heat days: 15.8 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 15 and 30: grade 2/4. Source
• Tropical nights: 83.6 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 60 and 100: grade 1/4. Source
• Flood hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
• Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
• Country disaster risk: 2 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). At or below 2: grade 4/4. Source

Water and environment: 94

• Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4. Source
• Wastewater safely treated: 98.9 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Daegu Metropolitan City, Sewage Status, 2022). At or above 95: grade 4/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 321.2 kg per resident per year (Daegu Metropolitan City, 2024 Municipal Administration White Paper (시정백서), 2022). At or below 350: grade 4/4. Source
• Green space: 77.4 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Daegu Metropolitan City, 2040 Daegu Urban Master Plan (2040 대구 도시기본계획), 2023). At or above 40: grade 4/4. Source

Community and housing: 100

• Tourism intensity: not measured yet
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: 1 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Korea Real Estate Board (한국부동산원) via Yeongnam Ilbo, Sep 2025–Sep 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4. Source
• Short-let density: 0.1 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA & Statistics Korea (Census), August 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4. Source
• Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 71

• Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Invest Korea / Daegu Metropolitan City, 'Center of Transportation', 2024). Between 3 and 4: grade 3/4. Source
• Air traffic recovery: not measured yet
• Rail share of intercity access: not measured yet
• Rail traffic recovery: not measured yet
• Largest airline group share: not measured yet
• Air route concentration: not measured yet
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated, tested plan that names visitors and tourism operators, with warnings in several languages (Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), Republic of Korea, 2026). Grade 4/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) & Daegu Metropolitan City, 2025–2026). Grade 1/4. Source
• Government effectiveness: 91 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). At or above 80: grade 4/4. Source
• 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. Source
• Dedicated tourism funding: A promotion budget that depends each year on the general budget (The Korea Herald / Daegu Metropolitan City, 2025–2026). Grade 1/4. Source

Compare Daegu

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• Daegu vs Incheon
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• Daegu vs Shanghai
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• Daegu vs Nagoya
• Daegu vs Shenzhen
• Daegu vs George Town

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