Array
(
    [id] => 478
    [active] => 1
    [city_id] => 20
    [city_name] => Sydney
    [contact_name] => Inga
    [contact_surname] => Davison
    [contact_email] => idavison@besydney.com.au
    [organisation] => City of Sydney / Business Events Sydney /Destination NSW
    [website] => https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/business/build-your-skills-and-knowledge/business-programs/greening-your-business/making-sydney-sustainable-destination
    [environmental_description] => Consistently named in the top 10 of the world’s most liveable cities, Sydney is fast becoming one of the world’s, and APAC-region’s, leading ‘green cities’. Le-d by the Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050 vision, City of Sydney’s ultimate aim is to make Sydney Green, Global and Connected. City of Sydney has bold targets for Sydney that tackle key priorities including carbon emission reduction, energy efficiency, waste and water management and urban ecology. Sydney aims to source 50 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2035.The City of Sydney was Australia’s first carbon neutral local government. The "Making Sydney a Sustainable Destination Plan" is a subset of Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050. The plan sets out actions for both industry and government to work together on improving the environmental performance of the city's accommodation, entertainment and business event providers.
    [social_description] => Sydney strives to be a just and resilient city that understands that cities that make equality and social justice central to their growth are stronger and more resilient, creating opportunities for everyone to thrive. We believe that social sustainability is a framework that puts people at the heart of cities and recognises that our personal wellbeing impacts on, and is impacted by, our collective wellbeing. Improving our community’s wellbeing and resilience involves many aspects of our lives, such as our health, housing, education, work, income, transport, safety, relationships, creative expression, governance, and the quality of the environment. Building a strong inclusive society is a shared responsibility, not only for governments, but for business and the wider community and is integral to a strong economy and a healthy natural environment. In 2022, Sydney was voted among the 10 most accessible cities in the world by people with disability.
    [supplier_description] => City of Sydney launched the Sustainable Destination Partnership in 2018. The partnership is a collaboration of leading hotels, cultural institutions, event venues and tourism bodies working together to improve the environmental performance of the City. The program directly supports the Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050 Vision and aims to work with the industry to improve energy, water and waste efficiency and the take up of renewable energy and engage with regulators on major environmental policy and regulatory issues. The City is actively working with accommodation providers to obtain a third party environmental certification rating in order to improve the environmental performance of buildings and event spaces. 100% of Sydney’s hotels room inventory is accessible by public transport and more than one third are within walking distance to the City’s 6 star green rated International Convention Centre Sydney . Both BESydney and Destination NSW are associate partners of the SDP.
    [dmo_description] => Sydney, via a partnership between the city government and the convention bureau BESydney, was one of the first cities globally and the first in Australia to join the Global Destination Sustainability Index. Previously focusing on the business events sector and residents respectively, BESydney and the City of Sydney were this year joined by the State Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. Destination NSW is the lead agency, champion and voice for the visitor economy within NSW. Together these organisations are working to drive sustainable, and increasingly regenerative, custodianship of our beautiful harbour city.
    [logo] => https://omni.gds.earth/storage/public_website/destination_logos/7mED9IRIsskLNLbRva6eyb60IlZ1py94kwMm0eqe.jpg
    [video] => IL3g7Ei3Qt4
    [img_1] => https://omni.gds.earth/storage/public_website/destination_photos/5b3a0ff464a7d.jpg
    [img_2] => https://omni.gds.earth/storage/public_website/destination_photos/5bf4dc583fea3.jpg
    [img_3] => https://omni.gds.earth/storage/public_website/destination_photos/5bfc97c27594a.jpg
    [img_4] => https://omni.gds.earth/storage/public_website/destination_photos/2YWv4I0E4nc6CSrIuZA8AGixPxH3EeNQaMo9leeg.png
    [img_5] => 
    [high_env_1] => 28.7
    [high_env_2] => 49
    [high_env_3] => 1521
    [high_soc_1] => 75.5818
    [high_soc_2] => 87.83
    [high_soc_3] => 75
    [high_sup_1] => 5
    [high_sup_2] => 100
    [high_sup_3] => 13
    [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] => We publish performance data on the DMO website,We include performance data in our Annual DMO or sustainability report
    [created_at] => 2023-10-05 07:32:58
    [updated_at] => 2023-12-07 12:02:09
    [year] => 2023
)
Array
(
    [id] => 478
    [year] => 2023
    [city_id] => 20
    [city_name] => Sydney
    [score_type] => city
    [Total] => 77.21
    [Total_rank] => 29
    [Environment] => 74.6
    [Environment_rank] => 19
    [Social] => 84.21
    [Social_rank] => 6
    [Supplier] => 50.79
    [Supplier_rank] => 36
    [DMO] => 92.7
    [DMO_rank] => 6
    [longitude] => 151.20929550000005
    [latitude] => -33.8688197
    [population] => 4926000
    [country] => Australia
    [region] => Asia Pacific
    [created_at] => 2023-10-05 07:30:57
    [updated_at] => 2023-10-05 07:30:57
)
Sydney 2023 GDS-Index Report
2023 Performance Overview
DMO
Supplier
Social
Environmental
Performance Highlights
Summary
Environmental
Supplier
Social
Sydney, via a partnership between the city government and the convention bureau BESydney, was one of the first cities globally and the first in Australia to join the Global Destination Sustainability Index. Previously focusing on the business events sector and residents respectively, BESydney and the City of Sydney were this year joined by the State Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. Destination NSW is the lead agency, champion and voice for the visitor economy within NSW. Together these organisations are working to drive sustainable, and increasingly regenerative, custodianship of our beautiful harbour city.
Consistently named in the top 10 of the world’s most liveable cities, Sydney is fast becoming one of the world’s, and APAC-region’s, leading ‘green cities’. Le-d by the Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050 vision, City of Sydney’s ultimate aim is to make Sydney Green, Global and Connected. City of Sydney has bold targets for Sydney that tackle key priorities including carbon emission reduction, energy efficiency, waste and water management and urban ecology. Sydney aims to source 50 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2035.The City of Sydney was Australia’s first carbon neutral local government. The "Making Sydney a Sustainable Destination Plan" is a subset of Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050. The plan sets out actions for both industry and government to work together on improving the environmental performance of the city's accommodation, entertainment and business event providers.
City of Sydney launched the Sustainable Destination Partnership in 2018. The partnership is a collaboration of leading hotels, cultural institutions, event venues and tourism bodies working together to improve the environmental performance of the City. The program directly supports the Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050 Vision and aims to work with the industry to improve energy, water and waste efficiency and the take up of renewable energy and engage with regulators on major environmental policy and regulatory issues. The City is actively working with accommodation providers to obtain a third party environmental certification rating in order to improve the environmental performance of buildings and event spaces. 100% of Sydney’s hotels room inventory is accessible by public transport and more than one third are within walking distance to the City’s 6 star green rated International Convention Centre Sydney . Both BESydney and Destination NSW are associate partners of the SDP.
Sydney strives to be a just and resilient city that understands that cities that make equality and social justice central to their growth are stronger and more resilient, creating opportunities for everyone to thrive. We believe that social sustainability is a framework that puts people at the heart of cities and recognises that our personal wellbeing impacts on, and is impacted by, our collective wellbeing. Improving our community’s wellbeing and resilience involves many aspects of our lives, such as our health, housing, education, work, income, transport, safety, relationships, creative expression, governance, and the quality of the environment. Building a strong inclusive society is a shared responsibility, not only for governments, but for business and the wider community and is integral to a strong economy and a healthy natural environment. In 2022, Sydney was voted among the 10 most accessible cities in the world by people with disability.
Summary
Sydney, via a partnership between the city government and the convention bureau BESydney, was one of the first cities globally and the first in Australia to join the Global Destination Sustainability Index. Previously focusing on the business events sector and residents respectively, BESydney and the City of Sydney were this year joined by the State Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. Destination NSW is the lead agency, champion and voice for the visitor economy within NSW. Together these organisations are working to drive sustainable, and increasingly regenerative, custodianship of our beautiful harbour city.
Does City of Sydney / Business Events Sydney /Destination NSW have a Sustainability Strategy?
Does Sydney have a sustainable destination certificate?
Does City of Sydney / Business Events Sydney /Destination NSW report on its sustainability performance?
Environmental
Consistently named in the top 10 of the world’s most liveable cities, Sydney is fast becoming one of the world’s, and APAC-region’s, leading ‘green cities’. Le-d by the Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050 vision, City of Sydney’s ultimate aim is to make Sydney Green, Global and Connected. City of Sydney has bold targets for Sydney that tackle key priorities including carbon emission reduction, energy efficiency, waste and water management and urban ecology. Sydney aims to source 50 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2035.The City of Sydney was Australia’s first carbon neutral local government. The "Making Sydney a Sustainable Destination Plan" is a subset of Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050. The plan sets out actions for both industry and government to work together on improving the environmental performance of the city's accommodation, entertainment and business event providers.
OF ELECTRICITY FROM RENEWABLES
OF WASTE RECYCLED
1521 ha
HECTARES OF GREEN AREA PER 100 000 POPULATION
Supplier
City of Sydney launched the Sustainable Destination Partnership in 2018. The partnership is a collaboration of leading hotels, cultural institutions, event venues and tourism bodies working together to improve the environmental performance of the City. The program directly supports the Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050 Vision and aims to work with the industry to improve energy, water and waste efficiency and the take up of renewable energy and engage with regulators on major environmental policy and regulatory issues. The City is actively working with accommodation providers to obtain a third party environmental certification rating in order to improve the environmental performance of buildings and event spaces. 100% of Sydney’s hotels room inventory is accessible by public transport and more than one third are within walking distance to the City’s 6 star green rated International Convention Centre Sydney . Both BESydney and Destination NSW are associate partners of the SDP.
OF HOTEL ROOMS SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFIED
OF VENUES SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFIED
OF PCOS/DMCS SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFIED
Social
Sydney strives to be a just and resilient city that understands that cities that make equality and social justice central to their growth are stronger and more resilient, creating opportunities for everyone to thrive. We believe that social sustainability is a framework that puts people at the heart of cities and recognises that our personal wellbeing impacts on, and is impacted by, our collective wellbeing. Improving our community’s wellbeing and resilience involves many aspects of our lives, such as our health, housing, education, work, income, transport, safety, relationships, creative expression, governance, and the quality of the environment. Building a strong inclusive society is a shared responsibility, not only for governments, but for business and the wider community and is integral to a strong economy and a healthy natural environment. In 2022, Sydney was voted among the 10 most accessible cities in the world by people with disability.
76
SDG IMPLEMENTATION SCORE
88
SCORE ON SOCIAL PROGRESS INDEX
75
SCORE ON CORRUPTION PERCEPTION INDEX
Compare another
Destination

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.

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