Almaty vs Suzhou

Almaty and Suzhou are level on the TRAIL Index at 67. Almaty grades better on 9 measures, Suzhou on 5; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Almaty 67, Suzhou 67
• OECD: Almaty 66, Suzhou 63
• UN Tourism: Almaty 74, Suzhou 74
• UNDRR: Almaty 64, Suzhou 62

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Almaty 70, Suzhou 63
• Economy and jobs: Almaty 83, Suzhou 92
• Climate and hazards: Almaty 65, Suzhou 35
• Water and environment: Almaty 94, Suzhou 81
• Community and housing: Almaty 25, Suzhou 100
• Access and continuity: Almaty 58, Suzhou 58

Where Almaty is stronger

• Nights in the three busiest months: 37.5 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2021, 2022 moving average). Between 35 and 40: grade 2/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 68.2 % average annual occupancy (Cushman & Wakefield Kazakhstan (using STR data), 2023). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
• Extreme heat days: 11.2 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 5 and 15: grade 3/4.
• Tropical nights: 35 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 30 and 60: grade 2/4.
• Flood hazard: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 202.6 kg per resident per year (Ranking.kz / Bureau of National Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 2025). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (AIP Kazakhstan / Wikipedia, 'Almaty International Airport', 2024). Between 3 and 4: grade 3/4.
• 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.

Where Suzhou is stronger

• Income per head: 58,315 GDP per capita, USD PPP (Suzhou Municipal Bureau of Statistics, Suzhou Statistical Yearbook 2025; World Bank, World Development Indicators (ICP 2021 cycle), 2024). Between 45,000 and 60,000: grade 3/4.
• Green space: 44.6 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Suzhou Municipal People's Government, Environment Protection, 2024). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: -0.6 % change in rents over the last 12 months (country figure) (National Bureau of Statistics of China (via Trading Economics), Aug 2025–Aug 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (Suzhou Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism, 'Suzhou Cultural and Tourism Industry Safety and Emergency Response Plan', 2023). Grade 2/4.
• Government effectiveness: 69.8 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). Between 60 and 80: grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Kazakhstan: #56 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• China: #8 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Almaty in full · Suzhou in full

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