Osaka vs Sapporo
Osaka leads Sapporo by 3 points on the TRAIL Index, 73 to 70. Osaka grades better on 10 measures, Sapporo on 5; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- TRAIL Index: Osaka 73, Sapporo 70
- OECD: Osaka 73, Sapporo 69
- UN Tourism: Osaka 80, Sapporo 80
- UNDRR: Osaka 73, Sapporo 65
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Osaka 75, Sapporo 63
- Economy and jobs: Osaka 81, Sapporo 69
- Climate and hazards: Osaka 45, Sapporo 65
- Water and environment: Osaka 75, Sapporo 100
- Community and housing: Osaka 83, Sapporo 63
- Access and continuity: Osaka 92, Sapporo 75
Where Osaka is stronger
- Nights in the three busiest months: 26.6 % of annual nights (region figure) (Japan Tourism Agency (MLIT), Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (宿泊旅行統計調査), 2024). At or below 30: grade 4/4.
- Recovery against 2019: 118.2 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (region figure) (Japan Tourism Agency, Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (宿泊旅行統計調査) / Osaka Prefectural Government Tourism Statistics, 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
- Hotel bed or room occupancy: 75.4 % average annual occupancy (region figure) (Japan Tourism Agency (MLIT), Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (2024 Annual Confirmed Data), 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
- Jobs in tourism industries: 4.1 % 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.
- Income per head: 45,505 GDP per capita, USD PPP (region figure) (OECD Regional Statistics / Cabinet Office Japan, 2021). Between 45,000 and 60,000: grade 3/4.
- Wildfire and storm hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
- Rent growth: 3 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Savills Japan, 'Osaka Residential Markets' / 'Residential Leasing' Report, 2024). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
- Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (City of Osaka and Port & Airport Authorities, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
- Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Ministry of the Environment Adaptation Database (Osaka Prefecture Planning and Tourism Bureau), 2021-2025). Grade 3/4.
- Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Osaka Prefectural Government / Travel Voice, 2025-2026). Grade 3/4.
Where Sapporo is stronger
- 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: 25 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 10 and 30: grade 3/4.
- Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
- Green space: 54.3 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (City of Sapporo (札幌市), Sapporo Greenery Basic Plan Survey (緑被率調査), 2007). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
- Short-let density: 0.3 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Japan Tourism Agency (MLIT) & Statistics Bureau of Japan (2023 Housing and Land Survey), July 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.
Country context (World Economic Forum)
- Japan: #1 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
- Japan: #1 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
Osaka in full · Sapporo in full
The TRAIL Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · TRAIL Studio · Put your city in the pilot