Seoul

Seoul, South Korea, scores 75 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #17 of 309 destinations. 27 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 82% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: 75
• OECD: 73
• UN Tourism: 78
• UNDRR: 75

Strongest

• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 79 % average annual occupancy (Cushman & Wakefield via The Korea JoongAng Daily, 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Extreme heat days: 3.4 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.
• 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 & Seoul Metropolitan Government, Emergency Ready App Service Guide, 2026). Grade 4/4.

Weakest

• Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4.
• Rent growth: 14 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Korea Real Estate Board (REB) via The Chosun Daily / MK, June 2023–July 2024). Between 10 and 15: grade 1/4.
• Tropical nights: 73.2 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.

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; Seoul is 9 above that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 75

• 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: 29 % of nights by residents of the same country (Korea JoongAng Daily / Cushman & Wakefield, 2025). Between 25 and 35: grade 2/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 28.1 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) / Edaily, 2024). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: 98.3 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Seoul Metropolitan Government, 2024). Between 90 and 100: grade 2/4. Source
• Average length of stay: 6.1 nights per visitor (Seoul Tourism Organization & Seoul Metropolitan Government, '2023 Survey on Foreign Tourists Visiting Seoul', 2023). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 79 % average annual occupancy (Cushman & Wakefield via The Korea JoongAng Daily, 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 92

• 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: 2.7 % of the labour force (country figure) (Statistics Korea (Ministry of Data and Statistics) / CEIC, August 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
• Income per head: 55,697 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank / CEIC, 2025). Between 45,000 and 60,000: grade 3/4. Source
• Economic diversity: not measured yet

Climate and hazards: 60

• Extreme heat days: 3.4 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: 73.2 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: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4. 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: 81

• Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4. Source
• Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul Solution, 2023). At or above 95: grade 4/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 401.5 kg per resident per year (Gyeongin Regional Statistics Office via KOSIS, Per Capita Municipal Waste Generation, 2024). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4. Source
• Green space: 31 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index (HUGSI), 2025). Between 30 and 40: grade 3/4. Source

Community and housing: 58

• Tourism intensity: 8.1 visitor nights per resident per year (Seoul Metropolitan Government & Korea Culture and Tourism Institute (International Visitor Survey), 2024). Between 5 and 10: grade 3/4. Source
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: 14 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Korea Real Estate Board (REB) via The Chosun Daily / MK, June 2023–July 2024). Between 10 and 15: grade 1/4. Source
• Short-let density: 0.5 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirROI / Statistics Korea (Population and Housing Census), 2024). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4. Source
• Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 83

• Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Seoul Metropolitan Government & Korea Tourism Organization, Essential Transport Guide, 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 (Ministry of the Interior and Safety & Seoul Metropolitan Government, Emergency Ready App Service Guide, 2026). Grade 4/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Seoul Metropolitan Government & Seoul Tourism Organization (STO), 2025–2026). Grade 3/4. 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 dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) & The Korea Herald, 2024–2026). Grade 2/4. Source

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