Berlin holds fifth place among metropolises in the "Global Destination Sustainability Index"

Berlin, 10 November 2022 Greener and more sustainable: For the second time, the German capital was awarded one of the highly coveted places in the most important international sustainability ranking for the tourism and events industry. Among the global metropolises, the German capital is once again in fifth place. On the whole, Berlin ranks twenty-sixth among all participating destinations worldwide, including not only cities but also regions, in the "Global Destination Sustainability Index 2022", which means it has moved up two spots. The ranking was announced yesterday at the annual congress of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) in Krakow.

Burkhard Kieker, CEO visitBerlin, said: "Sustainability is a core concern for Berlin. This year's fifth place in the international sustainability ranking - after metropolises such as Glasgow and Melbourne and almost on a par with Montreal, Paris and Sydney - bears testimony to this. It is well deserved - the ranking shows that Berlin is on the right track and is developing into a climate-friendly, innovative destination worth living in. We are doing everything we can to ensure that Berlin's visitor economy continues to set its course fit for the future."

30 sustainable metropolises at a glance

The aim of the "Global Destination Sustainability Index" is to promote the sustainable development of international metropolises and to promote responsible tourism. The index evaluates four areas:

1. Urban environmental strategy and infrastructure

2. Social sustainability performance of the city

3. Support for suppliers such as restaurants, hotels or convention centres

4. Destination management strategies and initiatives.

This year, for the first time, 30 top destinations were enlisted - and Berlin was again counted among these sustainable destinations, ranking 26th out of all participating cities worldwide and achieving an overall performance of 74 per cent. This is an increase of eight percentage points and thus two places in the overall ranking compared to the 2021 ranking. In a year-on-year comparison, the proportion of sustainably certified suppliers in Berlin has improved this year most notably: it is now 34 per cent of Berlin hotels (in 2021 it was 23%), 22 per cent of Berlin venues (in 2021 it was 18%) and 19 per cent of agencies in the German capital (in 2021 it was 9%).

Part of a global sustainability movement

Since 2020, visitBerlin has been a member of the Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDSM). The GDSM is a collaborative platform that various destination management organisations have joined. The common goal is to drive the change towards a sustainable tourism and events industry. Berlin also wants to be fit for the future and become one of the most sustainable and city-friendly tourism and MICE destinations in Europe. The sustainability strategy of visitBerlin, the Berlin tourism concept with a more sustainable focus and the promotion of quality tourism, among other things, play a key role in achieving this goal. For tips on how to visit Berlin in a truly sustainable way, check out visitberlin.de/en/sustainable-berlin. Here travellers can find Eco-Hotels with sustainability standards, parks and gardens, gastronomy- and shopping offers, sustainable places or bicycle tours. And the concept of the 15-minute city also opens up exciting new perspectives for sustainable tourism in Berlin: Gastronomic, cultural and shopping highlights are located within a 15-minute walk of a hotel joining in the initiative. This way, Berlin's guests can travel in an environmentally friendly way and at the same time experience the life of the city up close.

Planning events sustainably

Berlin has shown how meetings, congresses and events can be planned and implemented in a sustainable manner. And it certainly holds true with the online platform "Sustainable Meetings Berlin", an initiative of the Berlin Convention Office and the Berlin Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Operations. All MICE partners in the city are welcome to become part of this community. They stand to benefit from free workshops, events and consultations. The Sustainable Partner audit is also free of charge. With these support services, the initiative is sure to move Berlin even further up the "Global Destination Sustainability Index".

Since 2020, visitBerlin has been a member of the Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDS-Movement), which publishes the Global Destination Sustainability Index annually.

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