Kobe vs Shanghai

Kobe leads Shanghai by 2 points on the CIRA Index, 75 to 73. Kobe grades better on 8 measures, Shanghai on 4; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Kobe 75, Shanghai 73
• OECD: Kobe 72, Shanghai 66
• UN Tourism: Kobe 80, Shanghai 74
• UNDRR: Kobe 76, Shanghai 60

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Kobe 58, Shanghai 80
• Economy and jobs: Kobe 69, Shanghai 75
• Climate and hazards: Kobe 67, Shanghai 35
• Water and environment: Kobe 92, Shanghai 63
• Community and housing: Kobe 92, Shanghai 100
• Access and continuity: Kobe 79, Shanghai 71

Where Kobe is stronger

• Nights in the three busiest months: 28.5 % of annual nights (region figure) (Japan Tourism Agency (MLIT), Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (宿泊旅行統計調査 2024年・年間値（確定値）) & Hyogo Tourism Bureau Monthly Reports, 2024). At or below 30: grade 4/4.
• Income per head: 40,181 GDP per capita, USD PPP (region figure) (OECD Regional Statistics / Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2021). Between 30,000 and 45,000: grade 2/4.
• 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.
• 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.
• Municipal waste per resident: 335.8 kg per resident per year (Ministry of the Environment, Japan (cited via Kobe City waste survey summary), 2021). At or below 350: 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.
• 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.

Where Shanghai is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 9.7 % of international arrivals or nights (State Council Information Office / Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, 2025). At or below 15: grade 4/4.
• Average length of stay: 4.8 nights per visitor (Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration / CEIC Data, 'Shanghai: Visitor: Average Length of Stay', 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 66 % average annual occupancy (Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism (via International Travel & Health Insurance Journal), 2025). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
• Tourism intensity: 0.2 visitor nights per resident per year (Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism / Xinhua & Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Statistics, 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Japan: #1 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• China: #8 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Kobe in full · Shanghai in full

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