About GDS-Movement

The GDS-Movement is a pioneering, international change agency that acts to catalyse socio-economic and environmental transformation in cities and regions. We envision thriving places and communities activated by regenerative tourism and events.

Our mission is to empower people with the mindsets, skill sets, and toolsets to create regenerative destinations to visit, meet, and live in. 

Our History

Embarking on a Sustainable Journey: The Evolution of the GDS-Movement 

The GDS-Movement evolved from the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index); one of the world’s most-trusted performance improvement programme to assess and accelerate the progress of a destination´s regenerative journey. It measures, benchmarks, and enhances the sustainability strategies, action plans, and initiatives of destination management organisations, municipal authorities, and their tourism supply chains, globally. 

It originated from the Scandinavian Destination Sustainability Index, created by 15 cities and co-founded in 2016 by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), City Destinations Alliance (CityDNA), IMEX Group, and MCI. The GDS-Index offers an unparalleled resource for visitors and event planners looking for destinations that offer the best in sustainable performance and for indicators of sustainable tourism development.  

Led by Guy Bigwood, a seasoned consultant with 17 years of experience in driving sustainability initiatives, the movement aims to advance regenerative destination management and sustainable events. Guy’s leadership has earned him 22 sustainability awards, including the Events Industry Council Pacesetter Award, and recognition as a Fellow of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment. He leads a dedicated team of changemakers committed to accelerating sustainability efforts and sustainable city examples. Get to know them here. 

In the world of destination sustainability, every step forward is a triumph for people, places, and the planet. The GDS-Movement, born from the vision of creating a more sustainable future for destinations, has a story that traces back to before climate denialism was the norm.

Our Contributions

At GDS-Movement, we take corporate responsibility seriously. In our ongoing commitment to supporting regenerative tourism, climate action, and community empowerment, we support projects benefiting climate mitigation, biodiversity, education, and systemic transformation.

We choose certified projects of high calibre with assured, long-term impact.

  • In 2025, we enlarged the Global Destination Sustainability Forest to 616 trees as part of Trees for Life, an institution regenerating the Scottish Highlands, helping to rewild the degraded lands on an estate near Loch Ness in Glenmoriston. We also adopted gorillas with the Gorilla Fund on behalf of the Faculty and graduates of the Autumn cohort of the 2024 GDS-ICCA-CityDNA Certificate in Regenerative Destination Management. We removed CO2 with Climate+‘s carbon removal credits (Verified Emissions Reductions or VERs) supporting the CarbonSinkGroup.
  • In 2024, we prevented 924 kilograms of plastic from entering the ocean or waterways and supported an African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary. We also offset the unavoidable emissions for the 2024 GDS-Forum with south pole‘s carbon reduction credits: 30 tonnes of CO2 emissions through carbon offsets with a water purification programme in Uganda; 33 tonnes of CO2 emissions through carbon offsets with a hydropower project in Vietnam.
  • In 2023, we supported a hydroelectric project in Sumatra, Indonesia.
  • You can read more about our ongoing efforts here.

We encourage you to support these and other high-quality, certified projects.

Our Timeline

Memberships & Collaborations