Daegu vs Seoul
Seoul leads Daegu by 3 points on the CIRA Index, 75 to 72. Daegu grades better on 5 measures, Seoul on 9; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- CIRA Index: Daegu 72, Seoul 75
- OECD: Daegu 66, Seoul 73
- UN Tourism: Daegu 81, Seoul 78
- UNDRR: Daegu 59, Seoul 75
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Daegu 50, Seoul 75
- Economy and jobs: Daegu 83, Seoul 92
- Climate and hazards: Daegu 45, Seoul 60
- Water and environment: Daegu 94, Seoul 81
- Community and housing: Daegu 100, Seoul 58
- Access and continuity: Daegu 71, Seoul 83
Where Daegu is stronger
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Where Seoul is stronger
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Hotel bed or room occupancy: 79 % average annual occupancy (Cushman & Wakefield via The Korea JoongAng Daily, 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
- 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.
- 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.
- Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
- 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.
- 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.
Country context (World Economic Forum)
- South Korea: #12 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
- South Korea: #12 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
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