Scandinavia ranked world’s most sustainable tourism region

Scenic summer aerial panorama of the Old Town (Gamla Stan) architecture in Stockholm, Sweden

Scandinavian countries are the most sustainable for tourism in the world, according to a recently released sustainable travel index, which ranks the 99 most sustainable tourism destinations.

Sweden was ranked at the top of the Euromonitor International Sustainable Travel Index thanks to it being “a pioneer in lifecycle assessment research” and to its efforts in preserving its Arctic permafrost, Euromonitor International’s head of travel, Caroline Bremner, said.

The nation is also highly engaged with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Sweden was followed by Finland, Austria, Estonia and Norway, in a top 10 made up entirely of European countries.

The highest-ranked Australasian nation for sustainable tourism was New Zealand (23), followed by Australia (29).

While the world’s lowest-ranked destinations for sustainable tourism are mostly Asian and African nations, including Morocco (95), Vietnam (96), Mauritius (97), India (98), Pakistan (99).

Euromonitor’s rankings were based on seven key factors of sustainable tourism: environmental sustainability, social sustainability, economic sustainability, risk, sustainable tourism demand, sustainable transport, and sustainable lodging.

Overall, 57 data indicators—each weighted according to the level of direct or indirect relevance—are used to derive the final index ranking to determine the comparative performance of countries.

The market research company stressed that it had created the Sustainable Travel Index to help travel businesses transition “to a more sustainable and purpose-driven model”, which it considers essential.

“As destinations around the world slowly begin to reopen while protecting local communities and preserve livelihoods, there is a growing awareness among consumers, businesses and governments for the need to prioritise not only profit but people and the planet,” Euromonitor said.

Sustainable Travel Index Rankings 2020

  1. Sweden
  2. Finland
  3. Austria
  4. Estonia
  5. Norway
  6. Slovakia
  7. Iceland
  8. Latvia
  9. France
  10. Slovenia
  11. Switzerland
  12. Lithuania
  13. Croatia
  14. Czech Republic
  15. Ireland
  16. Germany
  17. Belgium
  18. Denmark
  19. Netherlands
  20. Portugal

To download a free copy of the Sustainable Travel Index, click HERE.


Featured image source: iStock/scanrail

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