The 2024 GDS-Awards recognized global tourism leaders for sustainability, innovation, and community impact, highlighting Helsinki, Kumamoto, and Copenhagen’s transformative efforts.
The Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDS-Movement) announce the winners of the prestigious 2024 GDS-Awards. The ceremony, held at the Bruges Royal Municipal Theatre during the GDS-Forum & CityDNA Autumn Conference on the evening of 16 October, recognised destinations raising the bar of sustainability, innovation, and long-lasting positive impact in the global tourism and events industry.
The GDS-Awards have four categories: Leadership, Innovation, Most Improved Destination, and Impact in collaboration with #MEET4IMPACT. Each award highlights exemplary efforts to foster a more regenerative approach to tourism and events that not only reduces environmental harm but contributes to the well-being of the local community and economy.
Top 40 destinations of the 2024 GDS-Index vs. 2023 GDS-Index
Key Highlights from the Top 40 Destinations – an Evolution in Destination Sustainability:
- Over the past nine years (since the GDS-Index’s inception), the average performance in destination sustainability has risen 23%, with the Top 10 destinations showing a remarkable 44% increase.
- The performance gap between cities outside the Top 10 and the overall index average decreased from 28.8% to 23.2%, indicating improvements among lower-ranked destinations.
- Social responsibility is becoming a key pillar of sustainability. Destinations that actively promote community involvement and support local economies are seeing higher scores in the index.
- The 2024 rankings reflect the challenges posed by a more demanding methodology. The GDS-Index introduced 12 new criteria, refined 28 others, and removed five to keep pace with global sustainability demands. As a result, 26 of the Top 40 destinations saw a score decline despite their continued efforts.
- A wave of improvement in the Supplier and Destination Management categories indicates that a strategic focus on sustainability is gaining traction, with 23 destinations achieving maximum scores and demonstrating the efficacy of clear, actionable sustainability plans.
2024 GDS-Awards’ Winners
- Leadership Award Winner: Helsinki, Finland
The City of Helsinki demonstrates its leadership in sustainable destination management, achieving the highest overall score in the GDS-Index with an impressive 92.43%. The city’s integrated approach to sustainability spans tourism and governance, with projects such as the Urban Climate Leaders in Tourism group, and a comprehensive biodiversity strategy. Helsinki’s clear commitment to achieving carbon neutrality for the destination and net zero for its events by 2040, along with its focus on engaging residents in decision-making processes, sets it apart as a climate-action and urban sustainability trailblazer. “Helsinki has consistently demonstrated its commitment to sustainability over the years. The top ranking is a testament to the effectiveness of our efforts and the dedication of our team,” said Nina Vesterinen, Tourism Director, City of Helsinki.
- Most Improved Destination Award Winner: Kumamoto, Japan
Kumamoto International Convention and Tourism Bureau’s outstanding progress, with a 42.39% improvement in its GDS-Index score to last year, earned it the 2024 Most Improved Destination Award. The city’s holistic sustainability strategy, which includes a comprehensive water-management programme, a forward-looking mobility plan, and a robust circular economy approach, demonstrates its dedication to sustainable tourism. Kumamoto’s emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and its biodiversity strategy reflect the city’s ambition to create a more inclusive and environmentally-responsible destination. “Kumamoto City is a world-class groundwater city known as the ‘City of Water’ and provides 100% of its tap water through groundwater. We are undertaking the difficult mission of promoting tourism and MICE while protecting this vital water resource, and we are very honoured to have been recognised for these efforts. Kumamoto City will continue to strive to be an attractive and eco-friendly destination,” stated Kazufumi Onishi, Mayor of Kumamoto City.
- Innovation Award Winner: Copenhagen, Denmark, for its “CopenPay” initiative
Wonderful Copenhagen engages tourists in sustainability through its inventive CopenPay initiative. Visitors earn rewards, such as free guided tours, complimentary kayak rentals, and vegetarian meals on the house for climate-positive actions like choosing more sustainable transport or participating in site clean-up activities. CopenPay effectively promotes behavioural change and encourages more meaningful travel experiences. By transparently tracking environmental impact, the initiative offers a replicable model that cities, worldwide, can adopt to drive more responsible tourism. Wonderful Copenhagen, Director of Marketing, Communication and Behaviour, Rikke Holm Petersen remarked: “Our goal with CopenPay was to create a campaign that didn’t just focus on raising awareness about Copenhagen’s commitment to sustainability. We wanted to influence visitors in Copenhagen to act more sustainably during their stay, just as we were hoping to spark new conversations around the world about how to take greener actions. We were blown away by the positive response that we received from both visitors and people and organisations from near and far. This reaffirms our belief that there is a genuine motivation among travellers and destinations to take green actions and that we need to tap into this commitment.”
- Innovation Award Winner: Copenhagen, Denmark, for its “CopenPay” initiative
Guy Bigwood, CEO of GDS-Movement, remarked: “This year’s GDS-Awards’ winners and finalists are redefining the role of tourism by showcasing its potential as a driving force for regeneration and social impact. We are thrilled to honour these pioneering destinations from Europe, Asia, North America, and beyond, all leading with innovative sustainability projects that are reshaping the global industry. These initiatives reflect a fundamental shift in how the visitor economy is understood and managed. They emphasise the power of collaboration to foster meaningful change, setting a new standard for others to follow.”
The 2024 GDS-Awards highlighted the breadth of transformation and impact within the global tourism industry. Each winner exemplifies how destinations can move beyond traditional sustainability efforts to create regenerative systems that benefit not just visitors, but residents, ecosystems, and economies. This year the awards were judged by a distinguished panel of industry experts from across the globle.
Additionally to these prestigious awards, Visit Bruges was recognised with the GDS-Movement and CityDNA Partner of the Year Award, in recognition of their outstanding commitment to regeneration – through collaboration, continual improvement, and dedication to sustainable practices.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.