Sapporo

Sapporo, Japan, scores 70 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #57 of 309 destinations. 29 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: 70
• OECD: 69
• UN Tourism: 80
• UNDRR: 65

Strongest

• Extreme heat days: 0 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: 99.9 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Japan Sewage Works Association (日本下水道協会) / Hokkaido Government Department of Construction, 2024). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 289.8 kg per resident per year (Ministry of the Environment of Japan (環境省), Survey on Municipal Solid Waste Generation and Disposal (一般廃棄物処理実態調査), 2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4.

Weakest

• Average length of stay: 1.5 nights per visitor (region figure) (Hokkaido District Transport Bureau (MLIT), Accommodation Travel Statistics Survey (令和4年年間値及び令和5年1-3月期値), 2023-Q1). Below 1.8: grade 0/4.
• Rent growth: 29.2 % change in rents over the last 12 months (At Home Co., Ltd. / At Home Lab: Nationwide Major Cities Rental Apartment Asking Rent Trends, August 2026). Above 15: grade 0/4.
• Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4.

Japan in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

Japan is #1 of 110 countries (5.27 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 70 on the CIRA Index; Sapporo is right on that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 63

• Nights in the three busiest months: 34.3 % of annual nights (City of Sapporo, 2025年度札幌の観光動向に関する調査結果について, FY2025 (April 2025 – March 2026)). Between 30 and 35: grade 3/4. Source
• Domestic share of nights: 75.8 % of nights by residents of the same country (Hokkaido Government, Department of Economic Affairs, Tourism Bureau (Hokkaido Tourism Entry Survey Report / MLIT Hokkaido District Transport Bureau), FY2023). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 20.7 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Hokkaido Government, Department of Economic Affairs, Tourism Bureau (Hokkaido Tourism Entry Survey Report / 訪日外国人来道者), FY2024). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: 105.2 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (City of Sapporo, 観光統計データ / 2025年度札幌の観光動向に関する調査結果について, FY2025 (April 2025 – March 2026)). Between 100 and 110: grade 3/4. Source
• Average length of stay: 1.5 nights per visitor (region figure) (Hokkaido District Transport Bureau (MLIT), Accommodation Travel Statistics Survey (令和4年年間値及び令和5年1-3月期値), 2023-Q1). Below 1.8: grade 0/4. Source
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 70.4 % average annual occupancy (Japan Tourism Agency (MLIT), Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (宿泊旅行統計調査), October 2023 – September 2024). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 69

• Jobs in tourism industries: 8.8 % of employment in accommodation and food services (City of Sapporo / Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2021 Economic Census for Business Activity, 2021). Between 8 and 12: grade 3/4. Source
• Unemployment rate: 4.7 % of the labour force (Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census of Japan via Happy City Index / Sapporo City Statistics, 2020). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
• Income per head: 35,500 GDP per capita, USD PPP (Harvard Growth Lab, Metroverse Sapporo Economic Composition, 2020). Between 30,000 and 45,000: grade 2/4. Source
• Economic diversity: 64.4 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (City of Sapporo / Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2021 Economic Census for Business Activity, 2021). Between 64 and 72: grade 2/4. Source

Climate and hazards: 65

• Extreme heat days: 0 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. Source
• Tropical nights: 25 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 10 and 30: grade 3/4. 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: 100

• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4. Source
• Wastewater safely treated: 99.9 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Japan Sewage Works Association (日本下水道協会) / Hokkaido Government Department of Construction, 2024). At or above 95: grade 4/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 289.8 kg per resident per year (Ministry of the Environment of Japan (環境省), Survey on Municipal Solid Waste Generation and Disposal (一般廃棄物処理実態調査), 2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4. Source
• Green space: 54.3 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (City of Sapporo (札幌市), Sapporo Greenery Basic Plan Survey (緑被率調査), 2007). At or above 40: grade 4/4. Source

Community and housing: 63

• Tourism intensity: 8.8 visitor nights per resident per year (Hokkaido Government (Hokkaido Tourism Entry Survey Report) and Sapporo City Statistics, FY2023). Between 5 and 10: grade 3/4. Source
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: 29.2 % change in rents over the last 12 months (At Home Co., Ltd. / At Home Lab: Nationwide Major Cities Rental Apartment Asking Rent Trends, August 2026). Above 15: grade 0/4. Source
• Short-let density: 0.3 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Japan Tourism Agency (MLIT) & Statistics Bureau of Japan (2023 Housing and Land Survey), July 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4. Source
• Resident support for tourism: 60 % of residents who say tourism benefits them or the city (City of Sapporo: 2nd Sapporo Tourism City Planning Plan (第２次札幌市観光まちづくりプラン), 2023). Between 60 and 70: grade 3/4. Source

Access and continuity: 75

• Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (metro figure) (Japan National Tourism Organization & Hokkaido Airports, 2026). 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 (Sapporo International Communication Plaza Foundation & City of Sapporo, 2025). Grade 4/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (City of Sapporo, Tourism & Crisis Management Division, Disaster & Risk Information for Tourists (観光客の皆さまへ（防災・災害情報）), 2026). Grade 1/4. Source
• Government effectiveness: 99.5 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 dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Hokkaido Prefectural Government & City of Sapporo, 2026). Grade 2/4. Source

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