Kobe vs Seoul
Kobe and Seoul are level on the TRAIL Index at 75. Kobe grades better on 6 measures, Seoul on 7; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- TRAIL Index: Kobe 75, Seoul 75
- OECD: Kobe 72, Seoul 73
- UN Tourism: Kobe 80, Seoul 78
- UNDRR: Kobe 76, Seoul 75
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Kobe 58, Seoul 75
- Economy and jobs: Kobe 69, Seoul 92
- Climate and hazards: Kobe 67, Seoul 60
- Water and environment: Kobe 92, Seoul 81
- Community and housing: Kobe 92, Seoul 58
- Access and continuity: Kobe 79, Seoul 83
Where Kobe is stronger
- Domestic share of nights: 81.9 % of nights by residents of the same country (City of Kobe & Kobe Tourism Bureau, Press Release, 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
- Recovery against 2019: 103.8 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (City of Kobe (Economic and Tourism Bureau), 2025 Tourism Visitor Numbers Report (2025年観光入込客数について), 2025). Between 100 and 110: grade 3/4.
- Municipal waste per resident: 335.8 kg per resident per year (Ministry of the Environment, Japan (cited via Kobe City waste survey summary), 2021). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
- Rent growth: 1.4 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Tokyo Kantei, Condominium Rent Monthly Trends, April 2025 – April 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
- Short-let density: 0 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Japan Tourism Agency (via Minpaku notification dashboard) & Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (2023 Housing and Land Survey), January 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.
- Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Kansai Airports / Port of Kobe, 2025–2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
Where Seoul is stronger
- Largest foreign market: 28.1 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) / Edaily, 2024). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
- Average length of stay: 6.1 nights per visitor (Seoul Tourism Organization & Seoul Metropolitan Government, '2023 Survey on Foreign Tourists Visiting Seoul', 2023). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
- Hotel bed or room occupancy: 79 % average annual occupancy (Cushman & Wakefield via The Korea JoongAng Daily, 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
- Income per head: 55,697 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank / CEIC, 2025). Between 45,000 and 60,000: grade 3/4.
- Tropical nights: 73.2 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 60 and 100: grade 1/4.
- Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Seoul Metropolitan Government & Seoul Tourism Organization (STO), 2025–2026). Grade 3/4.
- Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) & The Korea Herald, 2024–2026). Grade 2/4.
Country context (World Economic Forum)
- Japan: #1 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
- South Korea: #12 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
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