Tampere’s environmental efforts ranked among the top three in the global GDS Index measuring sustainable tourism

In the overall ranking, Tampere was placed 23rd, improving by two positions from last year. Among the top 25 destinations alongside Tampere are Sydney, Paris, Singapore, and Oslo. Helsinki ranked first in the overall comparison.

The GDS Index measures the sustainability of tourism destinations across four categories using over 70 indicators. More than 100 cities from around the world participate in the comparison.

“Tampere’s ranking in the global GDS Index and especially reaching the top three in the Environmental category is a tremendous achievement. It’s great to see that we are on the right path. Hats off to the companies in our region, the City of Tampere, and especially to Matti Pollari from Visit Tampere and Sanna Huikuri from the City of Tampere, who have done excellent work for sustainable development. Congratulations also to Helsinki for taking the top spot,” says Anna-Krista Sorvoja, Development Director at Visit Tampere.

Close collaboration on climate issues

Tampere and Helsinki have been working closely and effectively together in the field of sustainable tourism for a long time. For example, the Urban Climate Leaders in Tourism collaboration aims to accelerate the transition towards climate-resilient tourism together with leading industry players and cities.

The work of the Urban Climate Leaders in Tourism group is based on the UN-led international Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism. Both Tampere and Helsinki have set a city-level goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.

Visit Tampere’s sustainable tourism development work aims to help the local companies offer responsible services and options for travelers. Developing sustainable business practices provides companies with conditions for success now and in the future. The most important tool in this is the internationally recognized Sustainable Travel Finland program by Visit Finland, which helps companies adopt more responsible practices, reduce their carbon footprint, and reliably market sustainable offerings.