Rome vs Sofia

Rome and Sofia are level on the TRAIL Index at 58. Rome grades better on 10 measures, Sofia on 9; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Rome 58, Sofia 58
• OECD: Rome 57, Sofia 56
• UN Tourism: Rome 62, Sofia 55
• UNDRR: Rome 58, Sofia 56

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Rome 65, Sofia 45
• Economy and jobs: Rome 83, Sofia 83
• Climate and hazards: Rome 45, Sofia 65
• Water and environment: Rome 50, Sofia 44
• Community and housing: Rome 42, Sofia 58
• Access and continuity: Rome 67, Sofia 63

Where Rome is stronger

• Nights in the three busiest months: 35.4 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2024, 2025 moving average). Between 35 and 40: grade 2/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 77.1 % average annual occupancy (Trademark Italia, Italian Hotel Monitor (via Guida Viaggi), 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Income per head: 62,803 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4.
• Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 70.7 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: SDG Indicators Database by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs), 2024). Between 70 and 85: grade 2/4.
• Green space: 35.7 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Roma Capitale / ISTAT via ANSA and Italy Rome Tour, 2020). Between 30 and 40: grade 3/4.
• Rent growth: 6.5 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Idealista Ufficio Studi via SimplyBiz, 'Idealista: affitti, canoni ai massimi storici a Roma nel I trimestre 2026', Q1 2025–Q1 2026). Between 6 and 10: grade 2/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (metro figure) (Roma Capitale & Porti di Roma e del Lazio, 2024). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Government effectiveness: 77.8 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). Between 60 and 80: grade 3/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Roma Capitale - Regolamento sul Contributo di Soggiorno, 2024). Grade 3/4.

Where Sofia is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 33.9 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Eurostat / National Statistical Institute (NSI) of Bulgaria, table [tour_occ_nin3], 2024). Between 25 and 35: grade 2/4.
• Jobs in tourism industries: 4.7 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI), Annual statistics on employment and labour costs - 2024, 2024). At or below 8: grade 4/4.
• Extreme heat days: 5 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: 7.6 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 10: grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 488 kg per resident per year (country figure) (European Environment Agency (EEA) / Eurostat, 2022). Between 450 and 550: grade 2/4.
• Tourism intensity: 1.8 visitor nights per resident per year (region figure) (National Statistical Institute (NSI) of Bulgaria, District Sofia (Stolitsa), 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 0.6 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (metro figure) (AirDNA and Eurostat / National Statistical Institute (NSI) Bulgaria Census, 2025–2026). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Sofia Municipal Council / Municipal Enterprise 'Tourism', 2024–2025). Grade 1/4.
• Travel advisory: 1 stricter of the US and Canadian government advisory for the country, 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel) (country figure) (US State Department and Government of Canada travel advisories, 2026-09-29). At or below 1: grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Italy: #10 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Bulgaria: #39 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Rome in full · Sofia in full

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