Split vs Zagreb

Zagreb leads Split by 1 points on the TRAIL Index, 58 to 57. Split grades better on 5 measures, Zagreb on 6; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Split 57, Zagreb 58
• OECD: Split 52, Zagreb 57
• UN Tourism: Split 60, Zagreb 62
• UNDRR: Split 54, Zagreb 56

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Split 55, Zagreb 45
• Economy and jobs: Split 50, Zagreb 67
• Climate and hazards: Split 45, Zagreb 60
• Water and environment: Split 67, Zagreb 69
• Community and housing: Split 33, Zagreb 50
• Access and continuity: Split 71, Zagreb 67

Where Split is stronger

• Recovery against 2019: 112.6 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Turistička zajednica grada Splita, Statistički podaci o ostvarenom turističkom prometu na području grada Splita od 2013. do 2023. / Statistička analiza turističkog prometa na području grada Splita u 2, 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Average length of stay: 3 nights per visitor (Turistička zajednica grada Splita, Statistička analiza turističkog prometa na području grada Splita u 2024. godini, 2024). Between 2.8 and 3.5: grade 3/4.
• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: 9 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Slobodna Dalmacija / Nekretnine.hr, August 2024–August 2025). Between 6 and 10: grade 2/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Ljubljana Airport Taxi / EveryRail travel guides & Port of Split authority, 2024). At or above 4: grade 4/4.

Where Zagreb is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 20.2 % of nights by residents of the same country (Turistička zajednica grada Zagreba (TZGZ) / eVisitor, 2025). Between 15 and 25: grade 1/4.
• Unemployment rate: 3.7 % of the labour force (Državni zavod za statistiku (Croatian Bureau of Statistics), Labour Force Survey, Q2 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Extreme heat days: 0.6 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: 15.6 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.
• Tourism intensity: 3.6 visitor nights per resident per year (Turistička zajednica grada Zagreba (TZGZ) & Državni zavod za statistiku (DZS), 2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 1.1 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA & Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS) 2021 Census, 2026). Between 1 and 2: grade 2/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Croatia: #46 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Croatia: #46 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Split in full · Zagreb in full

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