Sofia vs Zagreb
Sofia and Zagreb are level on the TRAIL Index at 58. Sofia grades better on 8 measures, Zagreb on 6; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- TRAIL Index: Sofia 58, Zagreb 58
- OECD: Sofia 56, Zagreb 57
- UN Tourism: Sofia 55, Zagreb 62
- UNDRR: Sofia 56, Zagreb 56
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Sofia 45, Zagreb 45
- Economy and jobs: Sofia 83, Zagreb 67
- Climate and hazards: Sofia 65, Zagreb 60
- Water and environment: Sofia 44, Zagreb 69
- Community and housing: Sofia 58, Zagreb 50
- Access and continuity: Sofia 63, Zagreb 67
Where Sofia is stronger
- Nights in the three busiest months: 40.7 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2024, 2025 moving average). Between 40 and 50: grade 1/4.
- 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.
- Recovery against 2019: 114.9 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (National Statistical Institute (NSI) Bulgaria, District Sofia (Stolitsa) Regional Statistics & City Statistics, 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
- Average length of stay: 2.3 nights per visitor (Sofia Municipality / Visit Sofia via The Sofia Globe, 2024). Between 2.2 and 2.8: 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Where Zagreb is stronger
- Income per head: 50,130 GDP per capita, USD PPP (Državni zavod za statistiku (Croatian Bureau of Statistics), First Release NR-2026-2-1, 2023). Between 45,000 and 60,000: grade 3/4.
- Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
- Wastewater safely treated: 83.8 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (Državni zavod za statistiku (Croatian Bureau of Statistics) - Javna odvodnja u 2024. (OEN-2025-1-3), 2024). Between 70 and 85: grade 2/4.
- Green space: 74 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (European Environment Agency (EEA) / Zagreb Tourist Board, 2022). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
- Government effectiveness: 73.1 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 (Narodne novine (Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia), Zakon o turističkoj pristojbi, 2024). Grade 3/4.
Country context (World Economic Forum)
- Bulgaria: #39 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
- Croatia: #46 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
Sofia in full · Zagreb in full
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