Johor Bahru vs Kuala Lumpur

Johor Bahru leads Kuala Lumpur by 6 points on the TRAIL Index, 70 to 64. Johor Bahru grades better on 5 measures, Kuala Lumpur on 1; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Johor Bahru 70, Kuala Lumpur 64
• OECD: Johor Bahru 66, Kuala Lumpur 61
• UN Tourism: Johor Bahru 78, Kuala Lumpur 73
• UNDRR: Johor Bahru 57, Kuala Lumpur 59

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Johor Bahru 60, Kuala Lumpur 63
• Economy and jobs: Johor Bahru 67, Kuala Lumpur 75
• Climate and hazards: Johor Bahru 50, Kuala Lumpur 50
• Water and environment: Johor Bahru 83, Kuala Lumpur 81
• Community and housing: Johor Bahru 88, Kuala Lumpur 50
• Access and continuity: Johor Bahru 75, Kuala Lumpur 67

Where Johor Bahru is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 69.4 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Johor State Government / The Star, 2025). At or above 45: 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.
• Tourism intensity: 5.6 visitor nights per resident per year (region figure) (Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Domestic Tourism Survey 2023 & Current Population Estimates 2023, 2023). Between 5 and 10: grade 3/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Senai International Airport & Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB), 2024–2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (The Straits Times / Bernama, 2025–2026). Grade 3/4.

Where Kuala Lumpur is stronger

• Wildfire and storm hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Malaysia: #26 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Malaysia: #26 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Johor Bahru in full · Kuala Lumpur in full

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