Ottawa vs Toronto

Toronto leads Ottawa by 6 points on the TRAIL Index, 81 to 75. Ottawa grades better on 3 measures, Toronto on 5; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Ottawa 75, Toronto 81
• OECD: Ottawa 73, Toronto 76
• UN Tourism: Ottawa 74, Toronto 82
• UNDRR: Ottawa 68, Toronto 76

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Ottawa 55, Toronto 45
• Economy and jobs: Ottawa 92, Toronto 92
• Climate and hazards: Ottawa 70, Toronto 70
• Water and environment: Ottawa 69, Toronto 88
• Community and housing: Ottawa 92, Toronto 94
• Access and continuity: Ottawa 79, Toronto 83

Where Ottawa is stronger

• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 70.6 % average annual occupancy (metro figure) (Avison Young / Ottawa Business Journal, 2025). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
• Wildfire and storm hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Short-let density: 0.5 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA / Statistics Canada (2021 Census), 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.

Where Toronto is stronger

• Flood hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 87.7 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (region figure) (Environment and Climate Change Canada / Statistics Canada, Municipal wastewater treatment indicator, 2022). Between 85 and 95: grade 3/4.
• Green space: 31 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (City of Toronto, Tree Canopy Study (CanopyTO), 2018). Between 30 and 40: grade 3/4.
• Rent growth: -1.4 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Rentals.ca and Urbanation, September 2026 National Rent Report, August 2025 – August 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (PortsToronto, VIA Rail Canada, Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Ontario Ministry of Transportation, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Canada: #14 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Canada: #14 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Ottawa in full · Toronto in full

The TRAIL Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · TRAIL Studio · Put your city in the pilot