Featured:
Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index
Published by: GDS-Movement
First published in 2016, the Global Destination Sustainability Index is a benchmarking and improvement programme that evaluates the sustainability performance of tourism and events destinations worldwide. It assesses cities across four categories: environmental, social, supplier, and destination management performance.
What Experts Say
Praised for its holistic and practical framework that helps destinations embed sustainability into their strategies and operations.
Considerations: May rely heavily on self-reported data and requires consistent effort and resources from participating destinations.
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Green Destinations Top 100 Stories
Published by: Green Destinations Foundation
First launched to celebrate and promote responsible tourism, this annual list highlights destinations with outstanding good practice stories in sustainability. It focuses on social, cultural, and environmental aspects of tourism development.
What Experts Say
Praised for its hands-on, grassroots approach to sharing sustainability success stories.
Considerations: Relies on self-nomination and qualitative story submissions, limiting comparability across destinations.
Top 100 City Destinations Index
Published by: Euromonitor International
First introduced in 2017, the Top 100 City Destinations Index ranks cities worldwide across six key pillars: economic and business performance, tourism infrastructure, tourism policy and attractiveness, health and safety, sustainability, and tourism performance. The index provides a comprehensive snapshot of urban tourism competitiveness, helping destinations benchmark progress and identify strategic opportunities.
What Experts Say
A globally respected index that blends tourism demand data with structural and policy-based indicators. Especially useful for identifying well-rounded destination strengths and opportunities for growth.
Considerations:While comprehensive, the index methodology and data sources are not fully transparent publicly; access to deeper insights requires paid subscription.
Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI)
Published by: World Economic Forum
First launched in 2022 as the successor to the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index, the TTDI assesses the set of factors and policies that enable the sustainable and resilient development of tourism across 117 economies. It evaluates countries across five pillars: enabling environment, tourism and travel policy, infrastructure, natural and cultural resources, and sustainability. The TTDI supports data-driven tourism policy and investment decisions.
What Experts Say
Praised for its comprehensive and policy-relevant structure, the TTDI highlights systemic strengths and gaps in national tourism strategies, helping governments align with sustainable growth goals.
Considerations: Country-level focus may limit direct usability for city or regional destinations; some data can lag due to reliance on national reporting cycles.