Surat vs Suzhou
Suzhou leads Surat by 1 points on the AFTER Index, 67 to 66. Surat grades better on 3 measures, Suzhou on 6; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- AFTER Index: Surat 66, Suzhou 67
- OECD: Surat 63, Suzhou 63
- UN Tourism: Surat 76, Suzhou 74
- UNDRR: Surat 48, Suzhou 62
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Surat 75, Suzhou 63
- Economy and jobs: Surat 75, Suzhou 92
- Climate and hazards: Surat 15, Suzhou 35
- Water and environment: Surat 81, Suzhou 81
- Community and housing: Surat 100, Suzhou 100
- Access and continuity: Surat 56, Suzhou 58
Where Surat is stronger
- Nights in the three busiest months: 32 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2024, 2025 moving average). Between 30 and 35: grade 3/4.
- Municipal waste per resident: 164.3 kg per resident per year (Surat Municipal Corporation, 2019). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
- Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Airports Authority of India & Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, 2024–2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
Where Suzhou is stronger
- Hotel bed or room occupancy: 49.2 % average annual occupancy (country figure) (Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China, 2024 Statistical Bulletin on Culture and Tourism Development, 2024). Between 45 and 55: grade 1/4.
- 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.
- Extreme heat days: 20.4 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 15 and 30: grade 2/4.
- Country disaster risk: 2.9 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 2 and 3.5: 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.
- 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.
Country context (World Economic Forum)
- India: #31 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
- China: #8 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
Surat in full · Suzhou in full
The AFTER Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · AFTER Studio · Put your city in the pilot