Array
(
[id] => 193
[active] => 1
[city_id] => 118
[city_name] => Belfast
[contact_name] => Jac
[contact_surname] => Callan
[contact_email] => jaccallan@visitbelfast.com
[organisation] => Visit Belfast and Belfast City Council
[website] => https://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/belfastresilience
[environmental_description] => In October 2019 Belfast City Council's elected members declared a climate emergency and launched commitments that:
- Council becomes a carbon neutral organisation as soon as possible
- Belfast's carbon emissions are reduced by 80% against 2005 levels
- Work would commence towards a climate adaption and mitigation plan.
Co-Chaired by BCC and Queen's University, Belfast's Climate Commission was established in December 2019. This Commission is one of 3 city-based commissions across the UK (with Leeds and Edinburgh) to translate climate policy into action on the ground.
[social_description] => Belfast's Resilience Strategy is aligned with the 17 UN sustainability goals. Belfast performs largely within the expected range for social sustainability on the Social Progress Index.
[supplier_description] => Visit Belfast in its three year strategy will transform its approach to meetings and events. Its programme includes:
- 30% of all 2022 business events will have a legacy plan - increasing to 80% by 2025
- 30% of all 2022 business events will have a sustainability plan - increasing to 80% by 2025
- Launch of a sustainable events framework
- Appointment of a new sustainability and impact manager within the business events team to support clients and industry
- A fully funded certification scheme by BCC and Green Tourism to increase sustainability credentials of its tourism and hospitality industry across the city - the largest Green Tourism partnership with a city
- Launch of Sustainable Choices toolkit and resources to help clients deliver more sustainable and impactful events in Belfast
[dmo_description] => Belfast launched its Resilience Strategy, the city’s first climate plan in December 2020. It sets out 30 transformational programmes to transition Belfast to an inclusive, zero-emissions, climate-resilient economy within a generation.
As the city’s Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO), Visit Belfast is playing a key role supporting Belfast’s ambition. In partnership with Belfast City Council, we have committed to the development of a sustainable tourism strategy as one of the resilience strategy transformational programmes. It is within this context that Visit Belfast has launched its sustainability strategy, policy and action plan.
[logo] => https://omni.gds.earth/storage/public_website/destination_logos/d3s9HRquMyY5WgBIC02lo7HgEW2OUJWWk8vv7hNs.jpeg
[video] => h3R6WMT31U4
[img_1] => https://omni.gds.earth/storage/public_website/destination_photos/FRD10o9vqXqgcDHArfK4TJFHOaobLQjwnrECBwxt.jpeg
[img_2] => https://omni.gds.earth/storage/public_website/destination_photos/O18g3iYRsKwlbrSJpbsZSjxOFb2nB8yGWIBYKRdq.jpeg
[img_3] => https://omni.gds.earth/storage/public_website/destination_photos/u6MpgweBf8rWGJRgSfTG50XElEJNNCF4q39PRtPu.jpeg
[img_4] => https://omni.gds.earth/storage/public_website/destination_photos/ASdpl4IELwiiiTEpMQ1fz9hzH3txRNVDCOeJGzJi.jpeg
[img_5] => https://omni.gds.earth/storage/public_website/destination_photos/imVKoZJAEHEkBloJ7EDYd36r1AOUZph27x8EJevB.jpeg
[high_env_1] => 46.4
[high_env_2] => 42
[high_env_3] => 678
[high_soc_1] => 80
[high_soc_2] => 88.54
[high_soc_3] => 77
[high_sup_1] => 23
[high_sup_2] => 0
[high_sup_3] => 33
[high_dmo_1] => Sustainability vision and action plan established for events,Sustainability vision and action plan established for tourism,Multi year strategy (+3 years),Aligned to the city's overall development agenda (not just tourism and events),Aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
[high_dmo_2] => 0
[high_dmo_3] => None
[created_at] => 2021-10-26 12:01:36
[updated_at] => 2023-04-13 12:01:09
[year] => 2021
)
Array
(
[id] => 193
[year] => 2021
[city_id] => 118
[city_name] => Belfast
[score_type] => city
[Total] => 70.7
[Total_rank] => 19
[Environment] => 81.75
[Environment_rank] => 10
[Social] => 77.5
[Social_rank] => 8
[Supplier] => 41.25
[Supplier_rank] => 28
[DMO] => 75.17
[DMO_rank] => 10
[longitude] => -5.93028
[latitude] => 54.5964
[population] => 343542
[country] => United Kingdom
[region] => Western Europe
[created_at] => 2021-10-26 12:00:35
[updated_at] => 2021-10-26 12:00:35
)
Belfast 2021 GDS-Index Report
Belfast, United Kingdom
2021 Performance Overview
DMO
Supplier
Social
Environmental
Performance Highlights
Summary
Environmental
Supplier
Social
Belfast launched its Resilience Strategy, the city’s first climate plan in December 2020. It sets out 30 transformational programmes to transition Belfast to an inclusive, zero-emissions, climate-resilient economy within a generation.
As the city’s Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO), Visit Belfast is playing a key role supporting Belfast’s ambition. In partnership with Belfast City Council, we have committed to the development of a sustainable tourism strategy as one of the resilience strategy transformational programmes. It is within this context that Visit Belfast has launched its sustainability strategy, policy and action plan.
In October 2019 Belfast City Council's elected members declared a climate emergency and launched commitments that:
- Council becomes a carbon neutral organisation as soon as possible
- Belfast's carbon emissions are reduced by 80% against 2005 levels
- Work would commence towards a climate adaption and mitigation plan.
Co-Chaired by BCC and Queen's University, Belfast's Climate Commission was established in December 2019. This Commission is one of 3 city-based commissions across the UK (with Leeds and Edinburgh) to translate climate policy into action on the ground.
Visit Belfast in its three year strategy will transform its approach to meetings and events. Its programme includes:
- 30% of all 2022 business events will have a legacy plan - increasing to 80% by 2025
- 30% of all 2022 business events will have a sustainability plan - increasing to 80% by 2025
- Launch of a sustainable events framework
- Appointment of a new sustainability and impact manager within the business events team to support clients and industry
- A fully funded certification scheme by BCC and Green Tourism to increase sustainability credentials of its tourism and hospitality industry across the city - the largest Green Tourism partnership with a city
- Launch of Sustainable Choices toolkit and resources to help clients deliver more sustainable and impactful events in Belfast
Belfast's Resilience Strategy is aligned with the 17 UN sustainability goals. Belfast performs largely within the expected range for social sustainability on the Social Progress Index.
Summary
Belfast launched its Resilience Strategy, the city’s first climate plan in December 2020. It sets out 30 transformational programmes to transition Belfast to an inclusive, zero-emissions, climate-resilient economy within a generation.
As the city’s Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO), Visit Belfast is playing a key role supporting Belfast’s ambition. In partnership with Belfast City Council, we have committed to the development of a sustainable tourism strategy as one of the resilience strategy transformational programmes. It is within this context that Visit Belfast has launched its sustainability strategy, policy and action plan.
Does Visit Belfast and Belfast City Council have a Sustainability Strategy?
Does Belfast have a sustainable destination certificate?
Does Visit Belfast and Belfast City Council report on its sustainability performance?
Environmental
In October 2019 Belfast City Council's elected members declared a climate emergency and launched commitments that:
- Council becomes a carbon neutral organisation as soon as possible
- Belfast's carbon emissions are reduced by 80% against 2005 levels
- Work would commence towards a climate adaption and mitigation plan.
Co-Chaired by BCC and Queen's University, Belfast's Climate Commission was established in December 2019. This Commission is one of 3 city-based commissions across the UK (with Leeds and Edinburgh) to translate climate policy into action on the ground.
OF ELECTRICITY FROM RENEWABLES
HECTARES OF GREEN AREA PER 100 000 POPULATION
Supplier
Visit Belfast in its three year strategy will transform its approach to meetings and events. Its programme includes:
- 30% of all 2022 business events will have a legacy plan - increasing to 80% by 2025
- 30% of all 2022 business events will have a sustainability plan - increasing to 80% by 2025
- Launch of a sustainable events framework
- Appointment of a new sustainability and impact manager within the business events team to support clients and industry
- A fully funded certification scheme by BCC and Green Tourism to increase sustainability credentials of its tourism and hospitality industry across the city - the largest Green Tourism partnership with a city
- Launch of Sustainable Choices toolkit and resources to help clients deliver more sustainable and impactful events in Belfast
OF HOTEL ROOMS SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFIED
OF VENUES SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFIED
OF PCOS/DMCS SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFIED
Social
Belfast's Resilience Strategy is aligned with the 17 UN sustainability goals. Belfast performs largely within the expected range for social sustainability on the Social Progress Index.
80
SDG IMPLEMENTATION SCORE
89
SCORE ON SOCIAL PROGRESS INDEX
77
SCORE ON CORRUPTION PERCEPTION INDEX
About the Global Destination Sustainability Movement
The Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDSM) brings together the sustainability pioneers of the business and leisure tourism world, working with destinations to co-create their tourism and events strategies, benchmark and improve their sustainability performance and transform value chains in order to catalyse regeneration.
Our purpose is to engage, inspire and enable the business events and tourism industry to become more sustainable and regenerative.
Our Methodology
In 2022 the GDS-Index used 70 indicators that evaluate destinations sustainability performance across four key areas. If you are interested, you can read our benchmarking methodology in detail here.
Environmental
Performance
Climate, Energy and Emissions
Circularity and Waste
Water
Air Quality
Transportation
Biodiversity
Social
Performance
SDG Alignment
Corruption
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Health, Safety and Wellness
Accessibility
Resident Engagement
Supplier
Performance
Hotels
Airport
Agencies (PCOs & DMCs)
Restaurants
Venues
Academia
Destination
Management
Performance
Destination Strategy
Governance and Reporting
Policy and Certification
Capacity Building
Measurement, Impact and Reporting
Marketing and Communications
Diversity, Equality and Inclusion
Ownership
The GDSM is not owned by any one organisation. It is operated as a multi-stakeholder partnership founded and endorsed by IMEX, MCI, the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and City Destinations Alliance (CityDNA). Gubi Consulting and Guy Bigwood are responsible for the management of the Secretariat.
