The GDS-Index is a destination-level programme that measures, benchmarks, and improves the sustainability strategy and performance of tourism and events destinations.
The GDS-Index is aligned with international standards; UN SDGs, GSTC Destination Criteria, UNWTO.
Click here to read more about the benchmarking methodology including data collection and verification, the four benchmarking categories, governance and criteria development and performance scoring methods.
This page highlights each destinations sustainability journey and will showcase their journey.
The 2023 GDS-Index comprises 69 indicators across four categories. Here is the total score and the score for the four categories for this destination.
Environmental
Social
Supplier
Destination Management Organisation
Environmental
Includes a city's performance pertaining to its policies and infrastructure, such as climate change commitment, carbon emissions, renewable energies, resource and water management, public transport, and air pollution levels.
Social
Indicates the performance of the city against indicators of SDG integration, Corruption, Personal Safety, Access to Information and Communications, Health and Wellness, and Inclusivity, using external sources such as the Social Progress Imperative Index, and Corruption Perceptions Index.
Supplier
Addresses the sustainability commitment and performance of the local meetings' industry supply chain, including airports, events agencies, hotels, venues, and restaurants.
Destination Management Organisation
Indicates the sustainability commitment, including questions pertaining to maturity of a destination's sustainability and regeneration strategy, leadership, communication of sustainability initiatives (to support client planners), and the accuracy of their reporting on sustainability operations.
Does Karlstad - Warm Welcome have a Sustainability Strategy?
Does Karlstad have a sustainable destination certificate?
Does Karlstad - Warm Welcome report on its sustainability performance?
Karlstad is a Fair Trade City. The city is surrounded by water and situated on a delta where Sweden´s longest river, Klarälven, meets the third largest lake in Europe, Vänern, making it possible to go swimming in the middle of the city center. The destination offers 250 km of bicycle paths. You can find 11 Natura 2000 areas within the municipal boundary. Karlstad Airport has become the first airport in Europe to install a fixed storage tank facility for aviation biofuel. All local bus service is biogas driven. At the end of 2016 100 % of our hotels are eco-certified.
OF ELECTRICITY
FROM RENEWABLES
OF WASTE
RECYCLED
HECTARES OF GREEN
AREA PER 100 000
POPULATION
OF HOTEL ROOMS
SUSTAINABILITY
CERTIFIED
OF VENUES
SUSTAINABILITY
CERTIFIED
OF PCOS/DMCS
SUSTAINABILITY
CERTIFIED
Karlstad is one of seven municipalities in the country designated as the Global Municipality of Sida – The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. This means that we are a municipality that thinks globally and acts locally. It is about working in our work to contribute to the UN's 17 Global Objectives and Agenda 2030. The quality work at school and the work to ensure an equivalent education for all regardless of socio-economic background contribute to the global goal of good education. Sjöstadsverket's investments to improve water quality, sustainable travel, these are other examples that contribute to the global goals of sustainable energy, clean water, sustainable living and sustainable cities and communities. In Karlstad everyone will feel warmly welcome and openly be the one you are and love who you want. Karlstad Municipality has long been working to be a good municipality for HBTQ people to live and live in, for example, where upper secondary school student health first in Sweden became HBT certified.
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.
Copyright GDS-Movement 2024. All rights reserved.
