Gothenburg in Sweden has been named the world’s most sustainable city for the sixth year running according to the new Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index.

The GDS-Index is a performance improvement programme to make the tourism and events more sustainable. It showcases brave, bold, and pioneering cities, towns, and regions that recognise the urgent need to regenerate by working together to develop destinations where people, place, and planet can flourish.

The Nordics continue to dominate the index in 2022 with 12 destinations in the top 30, 7 of which dominate the top 10, including the first four spots. Leaping into the Top 10 this year were Stockholm, Oslo, and Bergen, the latter for the first time and straight into second place.

The report said that among the many reasons that make Gothenburg a top-performing destination is their DMO’s measurement, monitoring, and reporting practices that keep them well ahead. Bergen’s impressive gains in the environmental, supplier and DMO categories are what landed the city in second place.

Belfast moved into the top 10 for the first time, climbing 11 places to claim eighth spot, while Glasgow remained in the top ten, coming in at sixth.

The top 10 cities on the GDS Index are:

1. Gothenburg, Sweden
2. Bergen, Norway
3. Copenhagen, Denmark
4. Aalborg, Denmark
5. Bordeaux, France
6. Glasgow, United Kingdom
7. Stockholm, Sweden
8. Belfast, United Kingdom
9. Aarhus, Denmark
10. Oslo, Norway

Belfast also picked up the Innovation Award winner for its pioneering project “Changing the Menu. For Good”. The aim of the project is to raise awareness, funds, and supplies for those experiencing growing food poverty in the city. This initiative is part of the City’s long-term commitment to delivering more sustainable events and leaving a positive legacy through the power of those events.

The Most Improved award was given to Bangkok, represented by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB). Earlier this year, the Bureau undertook to action all the recommendations in its 2021 GDS-Index Performance Improvement Report, leading to dramatic improvement.

2022 shows one of the steepest growths in improvement across almost all metrics, raising the bar for destinations that will benchmark in 2023. There has been a 33% increase in average performance in seven years across all destinations and a 44% increase in the Top 10. This data proves that GDS-Index participants are raising the bar to become regional, national, and international leaders in the journey towards better destination management.

The Global Destinations Sustainability Index (GDS-Index) announced its 2022 results and award winners at the 61st ICCA Congress in Krakow last week.

See the top 30 GDS Index 2022 destinations here.