Helsinki has been ranked first in the Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index for the second year in a row, according to the international Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index published by the GDS-Movement on Tuesday.
The GDS Index measures the sustainability of tourist destinations in four different categories based on more than 70 indicators, said the City of Helsinki in a press release on Wednesday referring to the index.
Over a hundred cities around the world committed to sustainability are included in the comparison.
Gothenburg, Sweden secured second place in the index followed by Copenhagen and Aalborg of Denmark, Glasgow of United Kingdom and Tampere in Finland.
“Helsinki is investing in sustainable growth in tourism. Our aim is to make Helsinki a welcoming destination for a steadily rising number of travelers. Being the world’s most sustainable tourist destination for the second year in a row shows that our work for tourism and its sustainability is paying off,” said Mayor of Helsinki Daniel Sazonov in the press release.
The GDS Index assessed sustainability in four categories: environmental performance, supply chains, destination management and social sustainability.
Helsinki’s sustainability as a tourist destination is the result of cooperation between many operators. For example, the increasing number of companies with environmental certifications and the more climate-friendly production of district heating and electricity have helped Helsinki reach the top of the list.
“Up to 99 % of the rooms of hotels with more than 50 rooms in Helsinki are environmentally certified. This level is significantly higher than in Europe in general. Similarly, more and more destinations, meeting and conference facilities, tour operators and others have environmental certifications,” said Nina Vesterinen, Tourism Director of the City of Helsinki.
- Helsinki
- Best
- Sustainable tourist destination
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
