Helsinki vs Milan

Helsinki and Milan are level on the TRAIL Index at 71. Helsinki grades better on 12 measures, Milan on 7; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Helsinki 71, Milan 71
• OECD: Helsinki 72, Milan 71
• UN Tourism: Helsinki 70, Milan 72
• UNDRR: Helsinki 71, Milan 69

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Helsinki 67, Milan 75
• Economy and jobs: Helsinki 83, Milan 92
• Climate and hazards: Helsinki 80, Milan 65
• Water and environment: Helsinki 63, Milan 67
• Community and housing: Helsinki 83, Milan 67
• Access and continuity: Helsinki 75, Milan 67

Where Helsinki is stronger

• Nights in the three busiest months: 34.8 % of annual nights (Visitory / Statistics Finland, Nordic Tourism in Summer 2024, 2024). Between 30 and 35: grade 3/4.
• Jobs in tourism industries: 4.4 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Research by World Travel & Tourism Council; Travel & Tourism by World Travel & Tourism Council), 2026). At or below 8: grade 4/4.
• Extreme heat days: 0 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: 2.8 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 10: 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.
• Green space: 44 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index (HUGSI), 2024). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
• Tourism intensity: 6.7 visitor nights per resident per year (City of Helsinki (Tourism & Population Statistics), 2024). Between 5 and 10: grade 3/4.
• Short-let density: 0.7 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Airbtics / City of Helsinki (Kaupunkitieto), 2024–2026). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (metro figure) (City of Helsinki / Helsinki Region Transport / Finavia / Port of Helsinki, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (City of Helsinki, 2026). Grade 2/4.
• Government effectiveness: 97.6 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 Milan is stronger

• Recovery against 2019: 112.8 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Istat, '2024: nuovo anno record per il turismo in Italia' & 'Movimento dei clienti negli esercizi ricettivi 2019', 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Average length of stay: 2.2 nights per visitor (Istat via Pagella Politica, 2024). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 70 % average annual occupancy (Centro Studi Assolombarda, Osservatorio Turismo 2025 (elaborazioni su dati Istat e Confindustria Alberghi), 2024). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
• Unemployment rate: 5 % of the labour force (Comune di Milano (Ufficio Statistica) / ISTAT, Rilevazione sulle Forze di Lavoro, 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Flood hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (MM S.p.A. & Legambiente, Ecosistema Urbano, 2023). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Comune di Milano, Regolamento dell'Imposta Comunale di Soggiorno nella Città di Milano, 2026). Grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Finland: #19 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Italy: #10 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Helsinki in full · Milan in full

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