Seoul vs Tokyo
Tokyo leads Seoul by 6 points on the CIRA Index, 81 to 75. Seoul grades better on 3 measures, Tokyo on 8; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- CIRA Index: Seoul 75, Tokyo 81
- OECD: Seoul 73, Tokyo 79
- UN Tourism: Seoul 78, Tokyo 87
- UNDRR: Seoul 75, Tokyo 74
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Seoul 75, Tokyo 92
- Economy and jobs: Seoul 92, Tokyo 100
- Climate and hazards: Seoul 60, Tokyo 45
- Water and environment: Seoul 81, Tokyo 81
- Community and housing: Seoul 58, Tokyo 75
- Access and continuity: Seoul 83, Tokyo 92
Where Seoul is stronger
- 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.
- 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.
Where Tokyo is stronger
- Domestic share of nights: 48.5 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Japan Tourism Agency (MLIT), Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (2024 Final), 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
- Recovery against 2019: 140.5 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (region figure) (Japan Tourism Agency (JTA), Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (宿泊旅行統計調査), 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
- Income per head: 78,694 GDP per capita, USD PPP (region figure) (OECD Regional Statistics via Cabinet Office / OECD, 2021). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4.
- Municipal waste per resident: 285.1 kg per resident per year (region figure) (Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan, Survey on the Status of Municipal Solid Waste Generation and Treatment, FY2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
- Rent growth: 7.3 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Savills Research, Tokyo Residential Leasing, Q1 2025). Between 6 and 10: grade 2/4.
- Short-let density: 0.2 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (region figure) (Japan Tourism Agency (MLIT) & Statistics Bureau of Japan (MIC), 2024). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.
- Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Tokyo Metropolitan Government / Bureau of Port and Harbor / Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
- Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Taxation / The Standard, 2026). Grade 3/4.
Country context (World Economic Forum)
- South Korea: #12 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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