Almost nine in 10 destinations measured in consecutive years improved their sustainability performance in 2026, according to the latest GDS-Index.
Again, the Nordic countries lead the way, with six of the top 10 cities located in the region, including Helsinki, Finland’s capital, which came top for the third year running.
Gothenburg, Sweden, comes second, while Danish cities Copenhagen, Aaarhus and Allborg, follow in that order. Glasgow, Sydney, Belfast, Montreal, and Reykjavik make up the top 10.
The full list of destinations can be found here.
Bremen, Germany, is the biggest improver, rising 22 percentage points, followed by Madrid and Valencia, both in Spain, Abu Dhabi, and The Malverns, which rose 14 percentage points last year and around 27 percentage points since 2024.
The Index recorded its highest average performance since benchmarking began in 2016.
Beyond the top-ranking destinations, the results show progress accelerating across the wider field. Of destinations assessed in both 2025 and 2026, 89 per cent improved their scores, while the overall average reached a record 74 per cent. The gap between the top 10 and the wider field narrowed for the third consecutive year to 14.5 percentage points, its smallest since 2016.
Destinations with the greatest room to improve gained an average of 8.2 percentage points this year, compared with 1.5 points among those already near the top.
Since the programme began, average destination performance has increased 45.5 per cent, while performance among the top 10 has risen 49 per cent.
Now in its 11th year, GDS-Index is an annually updated performance improvement programme from GDS-Movement that helps destinations benchmark sustainability and regenerative progress, identify gaps, and turn evidence into action. It assesses performance across four interconnected areas: Environmental, Social, Supplier and Destination Management.
“This year we are celebrating both excellence and momentum,” said Guy Bigwood, CEO and Chief Changemaker of GDS-Movement. “The top-performing destinations continue to raise the bar, while destinations across the wider community are accelerating their progress. The narrowing gap shows how ideas, practices, and ambition are spreading. Eleven years of measurement demonstrate the power of benchmarking, peer learning, and performance management to turn evidence into action and help destinations scale change.”
The results also point to a broader geographic shift.
North America recorded the largest regional gains, with its five leading destinations improving by an average of 7.6 percentage points. Montreal, Quebec, became the first destination outside Europe to lead a GDS-Index category outright, scoring 97.95 per cent in Destination Management, the highest category score recorded in that category in the GDS-Index’s history. Victoria, British Columbia, placed third in the same category.
Other key findings from the 2026 GDS-Index include:
Sustainability practices are expanding across tourism and events supply chains: Third-party certification now covers 59 per cent of assessed hotel room inventory, up from 34 per cent in 2023. Certified convention venues increased from 47 per cent to 71 per cent, while certified event agencies more than doubled from 17 per cent to 39 per cent.
Climate resilience is becoming more embedded in destination management: nine in 10 responding destinations have a formal written crisis management plan covering tourism and events. While the vast majority have a 2030 emissions target, 38 per cent can demonstrate emissions reductions against that target.
Destinations are driving progress across all four categories (Environmental, Supplier, Social, and Destination Management) and Destination Management scores increased by 6.2 percentage points, while Supplier performance increased by 5.1 points, among destinations assessed in 2025 and 2026.
“The GDS-Index shows what happens when benchmarking becomes a catalyst for change,” said John Elkington, sustainability pioneer and author. “As more destinations improve, the opportunity is to turn this momentum into deeper systems transformation. By influencing the interconnected systems behind tourism and events, destinations can accelerate the shift from sustainability to regeneration, creating places that are more resilient, prosperous, and fit for the future.”
