Incheon vs Kyoto

Incheon and Kyoto are level on the TRAIL Index at 71. Incheon grades better on 5 measures, Kyoto on 7; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Incheon 71, Kyoto 71
• OECD: Incheon 69, Kyoto 74
• UN Tourism: Incheon 78, Kyoto 81
• UNDRR: Incheon 69, Kyoto 73

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Incheon 54, Kyoto 75
• Economy and jobs: Incheon 88, Kyoto 83
• Climate and hazards: Incheon 55, Kyoto 55
• Water and environment: Incheon 81, Kyoto 88
• Community and housing: Incheon 88, Kyoto 75
• Access and continuity: Incheon 79, Kyoto 83

Where Incheon is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 78.3 % of nights by residents of the same country (Incheon Tourism Organization (ITO) & Incheon Metropolitan City, 2024 Incheon Tourism Survey (2024 인천관광 실태조사), 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• 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.
• Green space: 55.5 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Korea Land and Geospatial InformatiX Corporation / Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport via KOSIS, 2020). At or above 40: 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.

Where Kyoto is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 20 % of international arrivals or nights (The Japan News / Kyoto Municipal Government Tourism Survey, 2025). Between 15 and 20: grade 3/4.
• 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.
• Wildfire and storm hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 267.2 kg per resident per year (City of Kyoto Environmental Policy Bureau / Ministry of the Environment Survey, FY2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Kyoto City Government, Kyoto Tourism Promotion Plan 2025, 2021–2025). Grade 3/4.
• 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.

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

Incheon in full · Kyoto in full

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