Helsinki, Finland, was announced on Wednesday as the new leader of the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index). Finland’s capital topped the index for the first time, with Sweden’s Gothenburg coming in second after having topped the list for seven of the past eight years. Copenhagen, Denmark and Bergen, Norway ranked third; Aarhus, Denmark; Bordeaux, France; Singapore; Oslo, Norway; Belfast, United Kingdom; and Sydney, Australia, entered the top ten in this order. The index benchmarks and ranks the sustainability of 100 destinations around the world.
Segmenting the index by population can provide valuable rankings for destinations of similar size.
| Metropolises and Megacities (1.5 million+) | big city (1.5M – 0.5M) | medium city (0.5M – 0.2M) | small city (-0.2M) |
| 1. Singapore 2. Sydney, Australia 3. Paris, France 4.Melbourne, Australia 5. Berlin, Germany |
1. Helsinki, Finland 2. Gothenburg, Sweden 3. Copenhagen, Denmark 4. Bordeaux, France 5. Oslo, Norway |
1. Bergen, Norway 2. Aarhus, Denmark 3. Belfast, UK 4. Aalborg, Denmark 5. Zurich, Switzerland |
1. Middelfart, Denmark 2. County Kerry, Ireland 3. Victoria, Canada 4. Galway, Ireland 5. Irish Clare |
The Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDS-Movement) launched the index in 2016 in partnership with the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), City Destinations Alliance (CityDNA), IMEX and MCI. The Paid Index aims to show planners, destination marketing organizations and other stakeholders which destinations offer the best sustainability performance.
In January, Tripadvisor used data from the GDS-Index as the starting point for its list of sustainable destinations for the Travelers’ Choice Awards.
Popular destinations continue to improve and ratings become more stringent
The latest version marks the ninth edition of the index. Over the past nine years, the average destination score has increased from 51.04% in 2016 to 62.79% in 2024. A shift that shows competition among the best-performing destinations is driving them forward is a sign of the GDS movement’s ambition.
However, changes in scores reflect not only improvements in destinations; They are also driven by changes to the index scoring system. The GDS campaign reports that it has added 12 new standards, eliminated five, and refined 28 others, thereby
Twenty-six of the top 40 destinations saw their scores drop.
GDS-Movement said it will release a more comprehensive insights report in 2025, which will include in-depth qualitative analysis, case studies and emerging trends.
More destinations recognized
Copenhagen, Denmark, won two awards. The Innovation Award recognized Wonderful Copenhagen’s CopenPay initiative, which rewards climate-friendly visitors for actions such as choosing more sustainable transport or participating in site cleanups, with free lunches, coffee, kayaking tours or museum tickets. Judges highlighted the initiative as a creative way to promote behavioral change and encourage more meaningful travel experiences.
The Impact Award recognizes the Copenhagen Heritage Lab initiative, which has created an original framework to create long-term, positive impact through conferences and events. Judges praised the destination’s open-source approach, providing tools and shared research that can be replicated in any destination around the world that wants to benefit from the positive long-term impact of conferences and events.
GDS-Movement also rated Kumamoto, Japan as the most improved destination, with its GDS-Index score increasing by 42.39% compared to last year. The city’s overall sustainability strategy, including a comprehensive water management plan, forward-thinking transport plans and a strong circular economy approach, has contributed to this improvement.
These destinations are celebrated at the 2024 GDS Awards, part of the GDS Forum and CityDNA Autumn Conference, which ends tomorrow. The theme of the conference was “Let Pigs Fly – Challenging the Impossible Gravity of Urban Tourism”, a tongue-in-cheek slogan that encouraged destination marketers to come together and discuss the challenges they face.
“The 2024 GDS Index results show that the path to a more sustainable visitor economy is more important than ever. As global destinations face multiple pressures such as climate change, inequality and overtourism, forward-looking governance, transparency and innovation Practice will be the key driver of lasting impact, says Guy Bigwood.
