Together with other destinations, Singapore achieved an average of 52.13% for sustainability efforts. Photo Credit: Adobe/Tomas
Destinations that entered the Global Destinations Sustainability
(GDS) Index for the first time, including Singapore, have collectively
achieved an average score of 52.13% for their sustainability efforts and
strategy, according to the 2022 results revealed last week.
The Index highlighted how Singapore and other new destinations had
made concerted moves to increase sustainability levels since joining the
Index in the last year. The GDS-Index is a programme level-destination
that benchmarks, measures and improves the sustainability strategy and
performance of tourism and events destinations.
The 52.13% score was for seven new destinations in total in 2022,
referred to as ‘first-time benchmarkers’. Alongside Singapore, the other
six destinations new to the Index this year are Milan (Italy), Krakow
(Poland), Budapest (Hungary) Nice Côte d’Azur (France), Vejle (Denmark)
and Helsingborg (Sweden).
Bella Shahsuvaryan, changemaker at GDS-Movement, which produces the
Index, highlighted how joining the Index has encouraged destinations to
form a number of sustainably-led partnerships.
“Soon after joining, Milan realised they didn’t have an organisation
to manage sustainability, so they formed a destination partnership to
manage it," says Shahsuvaryan. "Similarly Budapest realised they needed
to raise awareness about sustainability and therefore together with GDS
Movement, organised a sustainability forum to educate stakeholders.
Singapore realised that after joining the GDS-Index they did not have a
high percentage of certified hotels and partnered with GSTC [Global
Sustainable Tourism Council] and local hotel associations to drive up
certification levels.”
The seven destinations’ average score compares to that of 92.98% for
Gothenburg, the top-ranked destination in the index, and the score of
73.16% for Galway, the destination in 30th place. The score is based on a
comprehensive set of 70 quantitative and qualitative criteria that
assess four key areas of the sustainability performance of a
destination.
These include the city’s environmental strategy and infrastructure,
its social sustainability performance, industry supplier support and the
destination management organisation’s strategy and initiatives.
Shahsuvaryan also revealed that more than 20 US and Canadian destinations will join the GDS-Index in 2023.