Top 40 Cities

The GDS-Index assesses Destination Management Organisations (DMOs), City Convention Bureaux (CVBs), Municipalities, Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs), National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) and tourism boards based on their sustainability efforts across four key areas: Destination Management, Supplier, Social Progress, and Environmental Performance. The top 40 cities of the GDS-Index that score the highest in these categories are recognised as sustainability leaders moving towards regeneration. 

DMO Performance

A DMO refers to the body that is officially tasked with managing and promoting tourism (leisure and business) within the destination. DMOs work with local stakeholders, businesses, and communities to enhance the visitor experience while balancing the needs of the environment and residents. The GDS-Index focusses on 29 evaluation questions for the DMO, spanning strategy, policy, certifications, governance, marketing and measurements.

Supplier Performance

Supplier Performance focuses on evaluating the sustainability commitment and performance of the local meetings and tourism industry supply chain. The assessment is conducted through a set of 16 questions that cover various aspects including airports, events agencies, hotels, venues, and restaurants. 

Social Progress Performance

The destination’s social progress is closely monitored across 15 key indicators that cover a range of important topics including SDG integration, corruption, personal safety, access to information and communication, health and wellness, inclusivity, and funding mechanisms. To gather data and ensure a fair and accurate assessment, external sources such as the Social Progress Imperative Index and Corruption Perceptions Index are used. 

Environmental Performance

The Environmental Performance assessment comprises 20 questions that evaluate a city’s performance for its policies and infrastructure. This includes various factors the city’s commitment to climate change, its carbon emissions, its use of renewable energies, its management of resources and water, the quality of its public transport, its air pollution levels, and biodiversity. 

Key Highlights

The top 40 cities that score the highest in these categories are recognised as sustainability leaders moving towards regeneration. All cities have demonstrated outstanding efforts and have shown a strong commitment to creating a positive impact on their city, its residents, and visitors. We hope that continued dedication and leadership from these cities will inspire other destinations around the world to join the movement towards a more sustainable future. You can browse the top 40 list below or download the full report here, which includes in-depth information on each destination’s sustainability initiatives and progress.

 

Scroll or mouse over the graphs below to see more detail.

2

Oslo, Norway 92.46%

1

Gothenburg, Sweden 94.64%

3

Copenhagen, Denmark 91.73%

DMO

Supplier

Social

Enviromental

Ranking and Results

Click on the down arrow at the end of each destination to see more detail.

1
Gothenburg, Sweden
94.64%
2
Oslo, Norway
92.46%
3
Copenhagen, Denmark
91.73%
4
Helsinki, Finland
90.49%
5
Bergen, Norway
90.15%
6
Aarhus, Denmark
88.64%
7
Aalborg, Denmark
87.7%
8
Glasgow, United Kingdom
87.47%
9
Bordeaux, France
87.1%
10
Stockholm, Sweden
86.74%
11
Belfast, United Kingdom
86.4%
12
Zurich, Switzerland
84.35%
13
Lyon, France
82.85%
14
Goyang, South Korea
82.66%
15
Tirol, Austria
82.53%
16
Middelfart, Denmark
82.16%
17
Singapore, Singapore
81.83%
18
Nyborg, Denmark
81.64%
19
Kerry, Ireland
80.61%
20
Skelleftea, Sweden
80.54%
21
Paris, France
80.12%
22
Odense, Denmark
79.94%
23
Songkhla, Thailand, Thailand
79.56%
24
Bilbao, Spain
78.83%
25
Tampere, Finland
78.33%
26
Cork, Ireland
77.86%
27
Melbourne, Australia
77.53%
28
Faroe Islands, Faroe Islands
77.31%
29
Sydney, Australia
77.21%
30
Svendborg, Denmark
77.06%
31
Berlin, Germany
76.69%
32
Brussels, Belgium
75.77%
33
Montreal, Canada
75.12%
34
Barcelona, Spain
74.52%
35
Bangkok, Thailand
74.09%
36
Geneva, Switzerland
73.26%
37
Brisbane, Australia
73.07%
38
Clare, Ireland
72.01%
39
Galway, Ireland
71.85%
40
Milan, Italy
71.5%