FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nearly 9 in 10 Destinations Improve as Helsinki Leads 2026 GDS-Index

Record performance and a narrowing gap between leaders and the wider field signal broader progress in global destination sustainability

BARCELONA, Spain, Sept. 23, 2026 – Nearly nine in 10 destinations measured in consecutive years improved their sustainability performance in 2026, as the latest GDS-Index, released today, recorded its highest average performance since benchmarking began in 2016.

The 2026 GDS-Index Top 40 spans destinations across Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific. Helsinki, Finland, recorded the highest overall 2026 score at 92.94%, followed by Gothenburg, Sweden, and Copenhagen, Denmark. Bremen, Germany, recorded the largest year-over-year improvement, rising 22.3 percentage points, followed by Madrid, Spain, +19.8 percentage points, and Valencia, Spain, +17.1 percentage points.

Beyond the top-ranking destinations, the results show progress accelerating across the wider field. Of destinations assessed in both 2025 and 2026, 89% improved their scores, while the overall average reached a record 74.27%. The gap between the Top 10 leaders and the wider field narrowed for the third consecutive year to 14.5 percentage points, its smallest since 2016.

Destinations with the greatest room to improve gained an average of 8.2 percentage points this year, compared with 1.5 points among those already near the top. Since the programme began, average destination performance has increased 45.5%, while performance among the top 10 has risen 49%.

Now in its 11th year, GDS-Index is an annually updated performance improvement programme from GDS-Movement that helps destinations benchmark sustainability and regenerative progress, identify gaps, and turn evidence into action. It assesses performance across four interconnected areas: Environmental, Social, Supplier and Destination Management.

“This year we are celebrating both excellence and momentum,” said Guy Bigwood, CEO and Chief Changemaker of GDS-Movement. “The top-performing destinations continue to raise the bar, while destinations across the wider community are accelerating their progress. The narrowing gap shows how ideas, practices, and ambition are spreading. Eleven years of measurement demonstrate the power of benchmarking, peer learning, and performance management to turn evidence into action and help destinations scale change.”

The results also point to a broader geographic shift. North America recorded the largest regional gains, with its five leading destinations improving by an average of 7.6 percentage points. Montreal, Quebec, became the first destination outside Europe to lead a GDS-Index category outright, scoring 97.95% in Destination Management, the highest category score recorded in that category in the GDS-Index’s history. Victoria, British Columbia, placed third in the same category.

Other key findings from the 2026 GDS-Index include:

• Sustainability practices are expanding across tourism and events supply chains: Third-party certification now covers 58.63% of assessed hotel room inventory, up from 34.26% in 2023. Certified convention venues increased from 47.21% to 72.06%, while certified event agencies more than doubled from 16.86% to 39.05%.
• Climate resilience is becoming more embedded in destination management: Nine in 10 responding destinations have a formal written crisis management plan covering tourism and events. While the vast majority have a 2030 emissions target, 38.3% can demonstrate emissions reductions against that target.
• Destinations are driving progress across all four categories (Environmental, Supplier, Social, and Destination Management) and Destination Management scores increased by 6.2 percentage points, while Supplier performance increased by 5.1 points, among destinations assessed in 2025 and 2026.

“The GDS-Index shows what happens when benchmarking becomes a catalyst for change,” said John Elkington, sustainability pioneer and author. “As more destinations improve, the opportunity is to turn this momentum into deeper systems transformation. By influencing the interconnected systems behind tourism and events, destinations can accelerate the shift from sustainability to regeneration, creating places that are more resilient, prosperous, and fit for the future.”

GDS-Index measures progress rather than perfection, and is a tool for change. Participation or a high ranking does not mean a destination is fully sustainable or regenerative. Instead, the index provides an evidence-based framework for destinations to assess performance, identify opportunities and track improvement over time.

The full 2026 GDS-Index results and insights are available in the report, Spark to Scale, here.

About the GDS-Index

The GDS-Index is a global benchmarking and performance improvement programme that helps destinations measure, manage, and improve their sustainability performance through a structured, data-driven framework. It assesses environmental, social, supplier, and destination management indicators, enabling cities and regions to benchmark progress and strengthen their competitive edge.

About GDS-Movement

The GDS-Movement is a pioneering, data-driven international change agency that acts to catalyse socio-economic and environmental transformation in cities and regions across the world. Our mission is to empower tourism and events professionals with the mindsets, skill sets, and toolsets to co-create more regenerative and resilient destinations to visit, meet, and live in.