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 2024 GDS-Index comprises 77 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.
Mechelen has the clear ambition to become a flourishing destination: a place where tourism contributes to the destination, its inhabitants and entrepreneurs in a true sustainable way. Visit Mechelen co-created, together with touristic entrepreneurs, inhabitants, policy makers and the city, the vision ‘Mechelen, en route for a flourishing destination. Tourism in and for Mechelen, 2020-2026’. This vision note, including a co-created action plan, links the 3 city-wide ambitions of Mechelen (reducing child poverty, implementing innovative mobility and circular business development) with the tourism vision to become a flourishing destination. Credits: Mechelen is a proud partner of Visit Flanders in the transformative and groundbreaking traject ‘Travelling to Tomorrow’, an intensive traject that lead to this vision note.
Does Visit Mechelen have a Sustainability Strategy?
Does Mechelen have a sustainable destination certificate?
Does Visit Mechelen report on its sustainability performance?
Mechelen is a fast-growing city, a growth that happens in a sustainable way, with numerous efforts on climate mitigation, adaptation and circular economy. Mechelen is working together with several partners to realize Nature Park Rivierenland.
OF ELECTRICITY
FROM RENEWABLES
THE CITY’S
2030 CARBON
REDUCTION TARGET
HECTARES OF GREEN
AREA PER 100 000
POPULATION
OF HOTEL ROOMS
SUSTAINABILITY
CERTIFIED
OF VENUES
SUSTAINABILITY
CERTIFIED
OF PCOS/DMCS
SUSTAINABILITY
CERTIFIED
With 138 nationalities living in the city of about 87k inhabitants, Mechelen is a super-diverse city. In 2017, mayor Bart Somers won the prestigious World Mayor Prize, honored for its courageous and positive diversity policy.
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.
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