Kyoto vs Xi'an
Kyoto and Xi'an are level on the CIRA Index at 71. Kyoto grades better on 12 measures, Xi'an on 6; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- CIRA Index: Kyoto 71, Xi'an 71
- OECD: Kyoto 74, Xi'an 65
- UN Tourism: Kyoto 81, Xi'an 79
- UNDRR: Kyoto 73, Xi'an 66
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Kyoto 75, Xi'an 60
- Economy and jobs: Kyoto 83, Xi'an 75
- Climate and hazards: Kyoto 55, Xi'an 35
- Water and environment: Kyoto 88, Xi'an 88
- Community and housing: Kyoto 75, Xi'an 100
- Access and continuity: Kyoto 83, Xi'an 71
Where Kyoto is stronger
- Nights in the three busiest months: 27.8 % of annual nights (Kyoto City Tourism Association (DMO KYOTO), Kyoto City Tourism Association Monthly Data Reports, Trailing 12 months: August 2025–July 2026). At or below 30: grade 4/4.
- Recovery against 2019: 126 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Kyoto City Government / Nippon.com, 2025). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
- Hotel bed or room occupancy: 78.5 % average annual occupancy (Kyoto City Tourism Association (DMO KYOTO), 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
- Income per head: 41,295 GDP per capita, USD PPP (region figure) (OECD Regional Statistics / Cabinet Office Japan, 2021). Between 30,000 and 45,000: grade 2/4.
- Extreme heat days: 11.4 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 5 and 15: grade 3/4.
- Wildfire and storm hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
- 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: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
- Early warning and emergency plan: An updated, tested plan that names visitors and tourism operators, with warnings in several languages (Kyoto City Tourism Association (DMO KYOTO) & Kyoto City Disaster Prevention, 2024–2025). 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.
- Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Kyoto City Official Guide / LIVE JAPAN, 2024–2026). Grade 3/4.
Where Xi'an is stronger
- Domestic share of nights: 99.9 % of nights by residents of the same country (Xi'an Bureau of Statistics & Xi'an Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
- Average length of stay: 3.4 nights per visitor (Xinhua Net / Xi'an Datang Everbright City / Culture and Tourism Authorities, Spring Festival 2025). Between 2.8 and 3.5: grade 3/4.
- Green space: 44.1 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China (MOHURD), China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook 2023, 2023). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
- Rent growth: -1.5 % change in rents over the last 12 months (China Index Academy (via Moomoo), H1 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
- Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Aviation Week & China Railway, 2026). Between 3 and 4: grade 3/4.
- Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan tested in an exercise or a real event, with lessons published (CCTV News (央视网), 2024). 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
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