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GDS-Awards
Sustainability Awards 2022
We'll announce the 2022 Leadership, Most Improved, and Innovation award winners at the 61st ICCA Congress
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GDS-ACADEMY
Create magnetic messaging and compelling campaigns
in the Storytelling and Communication Strategies for Regeneration Masterclass
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GDS-ACADEMY
Learn to develop a top legacy and impact strategy
and use indicators to improve performance
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GDS-Consulting
Does your sustainability strategy need help?
Let us empower your collaborative advantage!
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GDS-Index
Methodology
Supporting a more regenerative tourism and events industry
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GDS-INDEX
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Search and compare destinations' sustainability ranking and performance
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The 61st ICCA Congress
For the associations meeting industry, featuring the annual GDS-Movement Awards
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The GDS-Movement empowers destinations with the mindsets, strategies, and skill sets to create regenerative places to visit, meet, and live in. We envision responsible and regenerative tourism that creates thriving destinations for all.

What do we do?

We work with pioneering municipalities, national/regional destination management organisations, and convention bureaux, to co-create their tourism and events strategies, benchmark, and improve their sustainability performance, and transform their value chains in order to catalyse regeneration.

GDS-Index
GDS-Index
The GDS-Index is the leading sustainability benchmarking and improvement programme for destinations around the world. It is used to assess current social and environmental performance of a destination, and then to drive improved performance. It is a powerful tool for clients to assess the sustainability of destinations to visit or meet in.
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GDS-Consulting
GDS-Consulting
Having worked with over 78 destinations, we understand the journey needed to transform a destination’s visitor economy into a regenerative force. Our role is to support destination management organisations on this journey, helping to define a vision and strategy, build capacity, engage stakeholders, and communicate efforts.
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GDS-Forum
GDS-Forum
The GDS-Forum is a meeting of minds that brings together tourism and event management professionals to exchange knowledge, share best practices and stimulate innovation about the creation, management and marketing of more regenerative, resilient and sustainable destinations.
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GDS-Academy
GDS-Academy
The GDS-Academy provides leading-edge training for event and destination management professionals to turn sustainability concepts into action. Check out our upcoming courses to stay ahead of the curve and learn about regenerative systems thinking and operational practices.
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GDS-Insights
GDS-Insights
We analyse the latest trends and research new opportunities to produce fresh insights that guide decision making and catalyse transformation towards a sustainable and regenerative future.
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Latest Insights
Blog
The GDS-Index: From Top 20 to Top 30
Blog
The GDS-Index: From Top 20 to Top 30
A sustainability ranking is vital to marketing and managing a destination, and the GDS-Movement has responded to its growing community by listing the Top 30 of the GDS-Index benchmarking scores in 2022
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22 September 2022
136 Views
Blog
Changemaker Check-in: Future Now, with Inge Krogh Larsen
Blog
Changemaker Check-in: Future Now, with Inge Krogh Larsen
"A Return to my Past and a Reset at the 2022 CityDNA Summer School"
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19 September 2022
131 Views
Blog
A Best Practice Case Study : Food Sustainability
Blog
A Best Practice Case Study : Food Sustainability
Belfast is Changing the Menu. For Good. ​
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9 September 2022
182 Views
Blog
Work with us!
Blog
Work with us!
GDS-Movement is growing. Are you an aspiring content creator or an experienced Destination Sustainability Consultant? Apply today!
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5 September 2022
214 Views
Blog
The GDS-Movement 2022 Asia Pacific Forum
Blog
The GDS-Movement 2022 Asia Pacific Forum
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24 August 2022
169 Views
Blog
Is Your Destination Hiring a Sustainability Manager? Adapt This Job Description Template
Blog
Is Your Destination Hiring a Sustainability Manager? Adapt This Job Description Template
Here's an informative guide to writing a job description that attracts the ideal, regenerative-minded candidate to your DMMO.
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14 July 2022
422 Views
“The GDSM is a fantastic initiative that motivates and inspires our destination and stakeholders to engage in sustainable practices. It is a movement that meets destinations where they are and manages to consider the uniqueness and different prerequisites of the cities, its surroundings and its tourism operators. Besides that, it has given us a platform to monitor our progress and a place to showcase our successes and our position in the market in terms of sustainable tourism management.”
Victoria Barton - Project Manager, VisitAalborg
The GDSM is an inspiring gathering of destinations, driven by the same strong desire to become more sustainable. This powerful network of determined, highly-qualified professionals, helps us build a greener global industry. The benchmarking platform is an efficient tool to identify a destination's strength and its weaknesses, and improve its actions for the years to come.
Amélie Déchénais - Convention Bureau Manager, Bordeaux
The GDS-Index is a unique example of how collaboration, including the sharing of best practices and expertise, can improve performance of destinations for the benefit of both our clients and local communities. It has provided us with opportunities and inspiration that has helped position Copenhagen as a leader in sustainable practices.
Kit Lykketoft - Director of Convention, Copenhagen