Daegu vs Incheon

Daegu leads Incheon by 1 points on the TRAIL Index, 72 to 71. Daegu grades better on 4 measures, Incheon on 6; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Daegu 72, Incheon 71
• OECD: Daegu 66, Incheon 69
• UN Tourism: Daegu 81, Incheon 78
• UNDRR: Daegu 59, Incheon 69

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Daegu 50, Incheon 54
• Economy and jobs: Daegu 83, Incheon 88
• Climate and hazards: Daegu 45, Incheon 55
• Water and environment: Daegu 94, Incheon 81
• Community and housing: Daegu 100, Incheon 88
• Access and continuity: Daegu 71, Incheon 79

Where Daegu is stronger

• Average length of stay: 2.3 nights per visitor (Daegu Policy Institute (대구정책연구원), 'Research on the Direction of Daegu Tourism Policy Based on Tourism Data', 2024). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 62.4 % average annual occupancy (Korea Hotel Association (via Daum / media reporting), 2024). Between 55 and 65: grade 2/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 321.2 kg per resident per year (Daegu Metropolitan City, 2024 Municipal Administration White Paper (시정백서), 2022). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: 1 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Korea Real Estate Board (한국부동산원) via Yeongnam Ilbo, Sep 2025–Sep 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.

Where Incheon is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 30 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), 2024 Korea Tourism Statistics, 2024). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Recovery against 2019: 93.5 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (country figure) (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism / Yanolja Research, 2024). Between 90 and 100: grade 2/4.
• Income per head: 52,423 GDP per capita, USD PPP (Statistics Korea, Regional Accounts / Regional GDP Statistics, 2024). Between 45,000 and 60,000: grade 3/4.
• Extreme heat days: 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.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Incheon Metropolitan City & Incheon International Airport Corporation, 2024–2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (Incheon Tourism Organization, 2023–2025). Grade 2/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

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

Daegu in full · Incheon in full

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