Sydney has just been named the top city in Australia on the Global Destination Sustainability Index.
Sydney has been on a steady upward climb since 2016, currently scoring 83.13% on the GDS-Index, its highest-ever score. The city has been placed 10th out of over 100 cities, meanwhile Melbourne has ranked 24th and Brisbane 33rd.
The Global Destination Sustainability Index is aligned with the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the organization uses the 17 SDGs to influence the management and strategies of destinations on a global scale.
The GDS also uses 77 different factors to benchmark cities against in order to fully gauge and rank their commitment to sustainability and their responsibilities to developing as tourism and business event destinations.
Great News For Sydneysiders!
The factors that influence the decision of the GDS are environmental responsibility, social progress, supplier engagement, and destination management.
GDS outlines the fact that “via a partnership between the city government and the convention bureau BESydney, was one of the first cities globally and the first in Australia to join the Global Destination Sustainability Index.”
This is great news for Sydneysiders, as such global recognition highlights how the City of Sydney continues to be a major leader in sustainability in the southern hemisphere, hopefully driving improvements in sustainability efforts across Australia.
“All cities have demonstrated outstanding efforts and have shown a strong commitment to creating a positive impact on their city, its residents, and visitors. We hope that continued dedication and leadership from these cities will inspire other destinations around the world to join the movement towards a more sustainable future.”
Strong Action On Climate Change
The GDS-Index signifies that the City of Sydney is a hub for sustainability, tourism, and sustainable businesses and activities, which will encourage more visitors to come and enjoy the city.
Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO said that the emphasis on sustainability in the City of Sydney is driven in part by its Sustainable Destination Partnership which supports the event and hospitality sectors to do business more sustainably. Moore said that taking strong action on climate change is one of the city’s highest priorities.
“People across the globe already know that Sydney is an amazing place to visit and this ranking helps put our city top of mind when organisers are looking at vibrant and sustainable destinations to bring conferences and conventions,” said Moore.
“As the country’s leading sustainable destination, we’ll continue to make the conditions right to boost the visitor economy responsibly.”
