Colombo vs Sapporo

Sapporo leads Colombo by 1 points on the CIRA Index, 70 to 69. Colombo grades better on 5 measures, Sapporo on 11; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Colombo 69, Sapporo 70
• OECD: Colombo 61, Sapporo 69
• UN Tourism: Colombo 69, Sapporo 80
• UNDRR: Colombo 51, Sapporo 65

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Colombo 71, Sapporo 63
• Economy and jobs: Colombo 75, Sapporo 69
• Climate and hazards: Colombo 45, Sapporo 65
• Water and environment: Colombo 56, Sapporo 100
• Community and housing: Colombo 100, Sapporo 63
• Access and continuity: Colombo 58, Sapporo 75

Where Colombo is stronger

• Average length of stay: 8.4 nights per visitor (country figure) (Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), Annual Statistical Report 2023, 2023). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Jobs in tourism industries: 5.2 % 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.
• Economic diversity: 75.3 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (country figure) (Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Socio-Economic Data 2025 (Labour Force and Employment / DCS Labour Force Survey), 2024). Between 72 and 80: grade 3/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (metro figure) (Airport and Aviation Services Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Railways, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Road Development Authority, 2024). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (Ministry of Tourism and Lands / Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), 2022-2025). Grade 2/4.

Where Sapporo is stronger

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Sri Lanka: #69 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Japan: #1 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Colombo in full · Sapporo in full

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