How this European city became the world’s most sustainable tourist destination

Dozens of destinations astir nan world are grappling pinch nan problematic effects of overtourism.

Alongside sparking lodging crises and overwhelming infrastructure, nan arena is proving disastrous for nan environment.

Authorities person been forced to research pinch mitigation measures for illustration visitant caps and restricted entree to earthy sites.

But immoderate destinations person managed to protect themselves from wide tourism acknowledgment to decades of sustainable strategies.

The world Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index is an yearly ranking that uses 70 different indicators to place nan world’s astir sustainable tourer destinations.

A European metropolis topped nan ranking. Here’s nan strategy down its winning tourism model.

This European metropolis is nan astir sustainable tourer destination successful nan world

The GDS compares complete a 100 cities astir nan world that are committed to sustainability.

Its appraisal is surgery down into 4 cardinal categories: destination management, proviso chains, societal sustainability, and biology performance.

Specific indicators wrong these categories see visitant management, biology effect of airports, safety, and ambiance alteration commitment.

For nan 2nd twelvemonth successful a row, Helsinki has been classed first successful nan GDS Index.

“Helsinki continues to raise nan barroom by defining nan ‘next practices’ of regenerative destination management,” says Guy Bigwood, CEO of GDS-Movement.

“Through bold ambiance action, pioneering sustainability strategies, and a patient committedness to transparency, nan metropolis demonstrates exceptional vision.”

Inside Helsinki’s winning sustainable tourism strategy

Several sustainability-related projects person helped Helsinki to declare nan title. It measures nan c footprint of tourism, promotes nan city’s ambiance roadmap for tourism, and supports tourism businesses connected nan way to sustainability.

Ensuring nan information and well-being of residents is besides an important facet successful nan improvement of sustainable tourism.

“We are promoting tourism pinch each areas of sustainability successful mind, reducing antagonistic impacts and expanding affirmative ones. The purpose is for Helsinki to beryllium a amended spot erstwhile a visitant leaves than it was earlier they arrived,” says Helsinki’s tourism director, Nina Vesterinen.

Helsinki’s sustainability arsenic a tourer destination is besides nan consequence of practice betwixt galore different operators, according to local authorities.

For example, nan expanding number of companies pinch biology certifications and nan much climate-friendly accumulation of territory heating and energy person helped nan metropolis scope nan apical of nan list.

“Up to 99 per cent of nan rooms of hotels pinch much than 50 rooms successful Helsinki are environmentally certified. This level is importantly higher than successful Europe successful general,” says Vesterinen.

“Similarly, much and much destinations, gathering and convention facilities, circuit operators and others person biology certifications.”

Helsinki’s sustainable strategy draws tourists

In March, Helsinki besides became nan first metropolis pinch complete half a cardinal residents to beryllium awarded nan Green Destinations certification, which has immoderate of nan strictest criteria successful nan world.

The certification is recognised by nan Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and is an independent nickname of a destination’s efforts, achievements and positioning arsenic a spot that takes bully attraction of its environment, group and culture.

“For Helsinki, it is basal that sustainability is transparent. Sustainability must beryllium much than conscionable marketing-level greenwashing, which is already demanded by EU authorities requiring biology claims to beryllium reliable and verifiable,” says Vesterinen.

2025 has already been a record-breaking twelvemonth for tourism successful Helsinki. According to Statistics Finland, nan number of nights spent by world visitors accrued by 19 per cent successful nan first 7 months compared to nan aforesaid play past year.

“International surveys show that a increasing number of visitors are looking for much sustainable services and destinations,” says Vesterinen.

Booking.com’s 2025 Sustainable Travel Report, for example, recovered that much than half of travellers are now conscious of tourism’s impact connected section communities arsenic good arsenic nan environment.

What’s more, 93 per cent of respondents to nan survey, which included thousands of group crossed six continents, said they want to make much responsible choices and person already taken steps to do so.

The tourism head says nan purpose now is to proceed improving Helsinki’s sustainability credentials.

“A ample proportionality of world visitors visiting nan metropolis get by vessel aliases by air, nan ambiance impacts of which we acknowledge,” she says.

“Accordingly, we are aiming to pull much and much visitors from Finland and neighbouring European regions.”