Kobe vs Osaka
Kobe leads Osaka by 2 points on the CIRA Index, 75 to 73. Kobe grades better on 3 measures, Osaka on 7; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- CIRA Index: Kobe 75, Osaka 73
- OECD: Kobe 72, Osaka 73
- UN Tourism: Kobe 80, Osaka 80
- UNDRR: Kobe 76, Osaka 73
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Kobe 58, Osaka 75
- Economy and jobs: Kobe 69, Osaka 81
- Climate and hazards: Kobe 67, Osaka 45
- Water and environment: Kobe 92, Osaka 75
- Community and housing: Kobe 92, Osaka 83
- Access and continuity: Kobe 79, Osaka 92
Where Kobe is stronger
- 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.
- Green space: 31.4 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Kobe City Construction Bureau, Basic Plan for Greenery (Draft), 2024). Between 30 and 40: grade 3/4.
- Short-let density: 0 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Japan Tourism Agency (via Minpaku notification dashboard) & Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (2023 Housing and Land Survey), January 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.
Where Osaka is stronger
- Largest foreign market: 25.3 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Kinki District Transport Bureau (MLIT), 2024 (Reiwa 6) Accommodation Travel Statistics Confirmed Report, 2024). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
- Recovery against 2019: 118.2 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (region figure) (Japan Tourism Agency, Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (宿泊旅行統計調査) / Osaka Prefectural Government Tourism Statistics, 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
- Hotel bed or room occupancy: 75.4 % average annual occupancy (region figure) (Japan Tourism Agency (MLIT), Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (2024 Annual Confirmed Data), 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
- Income per head: 45,505 GDP per capita, USD PPP (region figure) (OECD Regional Statistics / Cabinet Office Japan, 2021). Between 45,000 and 60,000: grade 3/4.
- Economic diversity: 68.2 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (region figure) (Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census (reported via GD Freak! / Osaka Prefecture Industry Statistics), 2020). Between 64 and 72: grade 2/4.
- Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Ministry of the Environment Adaptation Database (Osaka Prefecture Planning and Tourism Bureau), 2021-2025). Grade 3/4.
- Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Osaka Prefectural Government / Travel Voice, 2025-2026). Grade 3/4.
Country context (World Economic Forum)
- Japan: #1 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
- Japan: #1 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
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