Osaka vs Seoul

Seoul leads Osaka by 2 points on the CIRA Index, 75 to 73. Osaka grades better on 7 measures, Seoul on 5; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Osaka 73, Seoul 75
• OECD: Osaka 73, Seoul 73
• UN Tourism: Osaka 80, Seoul 78
• UNDRR: Osaka 73, Seoul 75

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Osaka 75, Seoul 75
• Economy and jobs: Osaka 81, Seoul 92
• Climate and hazards: Osaka 45, Seoul 60
• Water and environment: Osaka 75, Seoul 81
• Community and housing: Osaka 83, Seoul 58
• Access and continuity: Osaka 92, Seoul 83

Where Osaka is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 55.1 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Japan Tourism Agency (MLIT) / Osaka City Tourism Strategy Baseline Materials, Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (宿泊旅行統計調査), 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• 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.
• Wildfire and storm hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 348.2 kg per resident per year (Ministry of the Environment of Japan, Survey on Municipal Solid Waste Disposal (一般廃棄物処理実態調査結果 令和6年度), FY2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: 3 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Savills Japan, 'Osaka Residential Markets' / 'Residential Leasing' Report, 2024). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (City of Osaka and Port & Airport Authorities, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Osaka Prefectural Government / Travel Voice, 2025-2026). Grade 3/4.

Where Seoul is stronger

• 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.
• 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.
• Tropical nights: 73.2 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 60 and 100: grade 1/4.
• Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Green space: 31 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index (HUGSI), 2025). Between 30 and 40: grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Japan: #1 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• South Korea: #12 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Osaka in full · Seoul in full

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