Helsinki Earns Top Spot in Destination Sustainability Index

On Wednesday, Helsinki, Finland, was announced as the new leader of the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index). The Finnish capital tops the index for the first time, with Gothenburg, Sweden — which held the top spot for seven of the previous eight years — coming in second. Copenhagen, Denmark, comes in third with Bergen, Norway; Aarhus, Denmark; Bordeaux, France; Singapore; Oslo, Norway; Belfast, UK; and Sydney, Australia, closing out the top 10 in that order. The index benchmarks and ranks the sustainability of 100 global destinations.

Breaking down the index by the population offers a valuable ranking of comparable-sized destinations.

The Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDS-Movement) launched the index in 2016 in partnership with the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), City Destinations Alliance (CityDNA), IMEX, and MCI. The pay-to-play index aims to showcase destinations that offer the best sustainability performance to planners, destination marketing organizations and other stakeholders. 

In January, Tripadvisor used data from the GDS-Index as the starting point for its Travelers’ Choice Awards list of sustainable destinations.

Top Destinations Improve While Scoring Becomes More Rigorous

The latest release marks the 9th edition of the index. Across the past nine years, the average destination score has risen from 51.04% in 2016 to 62.79% in 2024. The rise has been more dramatic at the top of the indexes, from 59.6% in 2016 to 85.99% in 2024. The shift suggests that competition among top-performing destinations pushes them forward, a check mark for the GDS-Movement’s ambitions. 

However, the score changes do not only reflect improvements in the destinations; they are also driven by changes to the scoring system of the index. The GDS-Movement reported that it added 12 new criteria, eliminated 5, and refined 28 others, resulting in

score declines for 26 of the top 40 destinations.

GDS-Movement said it will release a more comprehensive insights report in 2025 featuring in-depth qualitative analysis, case studies, and emerging trends.

More Destinations Recognized

Copenhagen, Denmark, was recognized with two awards. The Innovation Award recognized Wonderful Copenhagen’s CopenPay initiative, which rewarded climate-friendly visitors’ actions, such as choosing more sustainable transport or participating in site clean-up activities, with free lunches, cups of coffee, kayak tours or museum tickets. The judges highlighted this initiative as an inventive way to promote behavioral change and encourage a more meaningful travel experience. 

The Impact Award recognized the Copenhagen Legacy Lab initiative, which created an original framework for creating long-term, positive impacts from congresses and events. The judges heralded the destination’s open-source approach, offering tools and sharing research that can be replicated in any destination worldwide that is looking to benefit from a positive long-term impact from congresses and events.

GDS-Movement also recognized Kumamoto, Japan, as the most improved destination, with a 42.39% improvement in its GDS-Index score compared to last year. The city’s holistic sustainability strategy, which includes a comprehensive water-management program, a forward-looking mobility plan, and a robust circular economy approach, contributed to this improvement.

The destinations were celebrated at the 2024 GDS-Awards, part of the GDS Forum & CityDNA Autumn Conference, which concludes tomorrow. The conference featured the theme “Let Pigs Fly—Defying the Gravity of Impossible in Urban Tourism,” a tongue-in-cheek slogan that dared destination marketers to gather and discuss their challenges.

“The 2024 GDS-Index results show that the path to a more sustainable visitor economy is more critical than ever. As global destinations face the multiple pressures of climate change, inequality, and overtourism, forward-thinking governance, transparency, and innovative practices will be the key drivers of lasting impact,” said Guy Bigwood, CEO of GDS-Movement.