Johor Bahru vs Tainan

Johor Bahru and Tainan are level on the CIRA Index at 69. Johor Bahru grades better on 4 measures, Tainan on 7; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Johor Bahru 69, Tainan 69
• OECD: Johor Bahru 63, Tainan 68
• UN Tourism: Johor Bahru 70, Tainan 67
• UNDRR: Johor Bahru 55, Tainan 73

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Johor Bahru 60, Tainan 60
• Economy and jobs: Johor Bahru 67, Tainan 100
• Climate and hazards: Johor Bahru 50, Tainan 50
• Water and environment: Johor Bahru 63, Tainan 42
• Community and housing: Johor Bahru 88, Tainan 100
• Access and continuity: Johor Bahru 75, Tainan 75

Where Johor Bahru is stronger

• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 61.7 % average annual occupancy (region figure) (Knight Frank / Tourism Johor, Real Estate Highlights, 1Q 2026). Between 55 and 65: grade 2/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 90.6 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (United Nations in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam, Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, 2024). Between 85 and 95: grade 3/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 427.1 kg per resident per year (country figure) (Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) / GarGeon Enterprise Report, 2024). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (The Straits Times / Bernama, 2025–2026). Grade 3/4.

Where Tainan is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 17.3 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Ministry of the Interior / Tourism Administration, MOTC (via Taipei Times), 2025). Between 15 and 20: grade 3/4.
• Average length of stay: 7 nights per visitor (country figure) (Taiwan Tourism Administration, MOTC, '2024 Annual Survey Report on Visitors Expenditure and Trends in Taiwan', 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Income per head: 80,091 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (International Monetary Fund / Harvard Growth Lab Atlas of Economic Complexity, 2024). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4.
• Green space: 32 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Taiwan Forestry Research Institute / Taipei Times, 2021). Between 30 and 40: grade 3/4.
• Tourism intensity: 2.4 visitor nights per resident per year (Tourism Administration, MOTC & Tainan City Government Civil Affairs Bureau, 2024). 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 (National Fire Agency, Ministry of the Interior & Tainan City Government Disaster Prevention Office, 2024–2025). Grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (Tainan City Government Tourism Bureau, 2024). Grade 2/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Malaysia: #26 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Johor Bahru in full · Tainan in full

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