Busan vs Tokyo

Busan leads Tokyo by 5 points on the CIRA Index, 86 to 81. Busan grades better on 5 measures, Tokyo on 5; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Busan 86, Tokyo 81
• OECD: Busan 81, Tokyo 79
• UN Tourism: Busan 90, Tokyo 87
• UNDRR: Busan 76, Tokyo 74

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Busan 88, Tokyo 92
• Economy and jobs: Busan 92, Tokyo 100
• Climate and hazards: Busan 60, Tokyo 45
• Water and environment: Busan 94, Tokyo 81
• Community and housing: Busan 100, Tokyo 75
• Access and continuity: Busan 79, Tokyo 92

Where Busan is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 18.9 % of international arrivals or nights (Busan Metropolitan City & Busan Tourism Organization (via The Korea Times), 2025). Between 15 and 20: grade 3/4.
• Extreme heat days: 1.2 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.
• Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Green space: 70.8 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (country figure) (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) & Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation (LX), 2025 Urban Planning Status Statistics, 2025). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: 2.6 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Korea Real Estate Board cited in real estate market reporting, Jan–Jul 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.

Where Tokyo is stronger

• Recovery against 2019: 140.5 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (region figure) (Japan Tourism Agency (JTA), Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (宿泊旅行統計調査), 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 76.3 % average annual occupancy (region figure) (Japan Tourism Agency (JTA), Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (宿泊旅行統計調査), 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Income per head: 78,694 GDP per capita, USD PPP (region figure) (OECD Regional Statistics via Cabinet Office / OECD, 2021). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Industrial and Labor Affairs Bureau, 2025–2026). Grade 3/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Taxation / The Standard, 2026). Grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• South Korea: #12 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Japan: #1 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Busan in full · Tokyo in full

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