Helsinki has topped the rankings for sustainable tourist destinations for the third year in a row.
The international Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index measures the cities in four categories which include environmental performance, supply chains, destination management and social sustainability.
The Finnish capital scored 93% in the GDS Index but the city’s tourism director has suggested that there is a continued push to improve on an already impressive result.
Helsinki is a global leader in multiple metrics such as 98% of hotels with more than 50 rooms are environmentally certified, compared with the European average of just 10%.
Tourism Director, Vesterinen, said: “Despite its sustainability credentials, Helsinki as a tourist destination still has room for improvement.
“Finding a balance is not an easy task, but we are doing our best. A large proportion of international tourists visiting the city arrive by boat or by air, the climate impacts of which we acknowledge.”
This year the EU’s Empowering Consumers Directive (EmpCo) has come into force as it reshapes how sustainability is marketed, banning generic claims such as ‘sustainability’, ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘green’ without clear and verifiable evidence to support the claims.
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