Helsinki has been ranked the world’s most sustainable travel destination for the second consecutive year in the latest Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index).
The Finnish capital leads with a score of 93.52%, cementing its role as a sustainable and regenerative tourism and events leader, followed by Gothenburg and Copenhagen, which retained their second and third spots from last year.
The top ten also included Aalborg (4) and Aarhus (7) in Denmark, Glasgow (5) and Belfast (9) in the UK, Tampere (6) in Finland, Lyon, France (8) and Reykjavik, Iceland (10).
Adelaide achieved the greatest improvement overall, soaring 23 places in the rankings in just its second year of participation. This dramatic rise was fuelled by its ambitious Integrated Climate Strategy 2030 and the launch of its first sustainability roadmap.
The city demonstrated exceptional environmental leadership, and made landmark progress in its supply chain, notably with Adelaide Airport becoming the first in Australia to achieve carbon neutrality for its direct emissions.
Krakow, Poland and The Malverns, UK were the second and third most improved destinations.
The data revealed that the 2025 GDS-Index Top 40 is more dynamic and competitive than ever. Nine new destinations entered the rankings. The leaderboard has also tightened significantly, with the gap between the top and bottom spots narrowing, indicating that the standard for destination sustainability is rising rapidly.
The 2025 GDS-Index celebrates ten years of progress, revealing a 31% increase in average performance across all participating destinations since the programme began, with a remarkable 46% rise in the Top 10’s performance.
Guy Bigwood, CEO and chief changemaker at GDS-Movement, said: “Every destination featured in the GDS-Index has demonstrated leadership and commitment – each one deserving recognition for its efforts to build a more regenerative future. As we mark the 10th year of the GDS-Index – with 626 benchmarking assessments completed across 35 countries since 2016 – one thing has remained constant: the courage of this community to lead with vision and to innovate with purpose.
“From shifting seasonality to changing governance and a pushback against sustainability, members of the movement meet each wave with intention, creativity, and a fierce resolve to do better, faster, together. It’s not just about riding the wave, it’s about learning how to read it, shape it, and surf it to make it count.”