Sustainable metropolis sets a new record: Berlin climbs to third place in the GDS Index

Berlin, 23 September 2026 Berlin ranks amongst the world’s leaders in sustainable destination development: in the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS Index) published today, the German capital ranks third amongst the cities compared in the benchmark, with an overall performance score of 85 per cent. This represents an improvement of one place and five percentage points compared with last year, and marks Berlin’s best result to date. In the ranking of cities with more than 1.5 million inhabitants, only Sydney and Montreal are ahead of Berlin.

Sabine Wendt, Managing Director of visitBerlin: “Forward-looking destination development in Berlin is a team effort. Ranking third amongst major cities in the international GDS Index for the first time shows what we are achieving in the city together with our many dedicated partners. What matters most to us is that sustainability does not remain an abstract concept, but is tangible in the Berlin experience – for our visitors as well as for Berliners. This excellent result is both recognition and an incentive to continue steadfastly along this path.”

At city-wide level, the GDS Index is gaining in importance: Berlin’s sustainability strategy, adopted in 2026, draws on it as an international framework for guidance and comparison in sustainable tourism development. This integrates Berlin’s tourism sector more closely into the sustainability policy of the State of Berlin. This contributed to Berlin even taking first place in the environmental category.

The GDS Index as a benchmark for sustainable destinations
The Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS Index) is an internationally recognised benchmark for the tourism and events sector. It assesses destinations across four areas: urban environmental strategy and infrastructure, social sustainability, the commitment of the visitor economy, and destination management strategies and initiatives. The results enable destinations to assess their development in an international context and to identify further areas for action. The following measures and developments in particular contribute to Berlin’s result:

More certified offerings 
76 per cent of hotel rooms in Berlin hotels with at least 75 rooms hold active third-party sustainability certification. As regards event venues, 81 per cent of the congress centres and conference-specialised venues considered as part of the submission are certified accordingly. Furthermore, 75 partners in Berlin’s visitor economy are currently certified through Sustainable Berlin. The programme involves an independent audit process based on a set of 59 criteria recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

Climate roadmap establishes a common basis
With academic support, visitBerlin has developed a climate roadmap for Berlin’s tourism and MICE sector. It is based on carbon footprint assessments, a climate risk analysis and emissions scenarios up to 2030. The roadmap outlines possible ways to reduce emissions and further develop the sector in a climate-resilient manner.
visitBerlin publishes key figures on the sustainable development of tourism in Berlin via its own dashboard. These include, amongst other things, facts on certified hotels, tourism acceptance, accessibility and tourism-related CO₂ indicators.

Programmes combine strategy and implementation
With BerlinPay, visitBerlin 2026 implemented a city-wide pilot project centred on Berlin’s waterways. From 14 May to 14 June, the programme encouraged visitors to Berlin and Berliners alike to get involved in sustainable initiatives: for example, anyone who watered trees, travelled in a climate-friendly way or collected litter received special Berlin experiences or goodies as a thank you. Around 40 Berlin-based companies and initiatives took part.

Standards and incentives are also being established in the events sector: visitBerlin’s BESTIVAL 2025 was organised in accordance with the ISO 20121:2024 criteria for sustainable event management; the planning was subject to an external audit. Under the Berlin Congress Fund for Sustainable Conferences, funding is conditional on achieving at least 300 points on the Sustainable Event Scorecard. The scorecard comprises 13 areas of action and 47 possible measures.

Social sustainability and inclusion
Sustainable destination development also encompasses accessibility and social inclusion. In Berlin, 214 tourism businesses hold a certification under the nationwide ‘Reisen für Alle’ scheme. Through ‘HIER IN BERLIN’, visitBerlin promotes ongoing dialogue with the city’s community. During neighbourhood tours in Berlin’s districts, opinions, suggestions and criticism from the public are gathered and incorporated into strategic tourism planning.

As a special project to promote democracy, the first Berlin Freedom Week was taken into account. From 8 to 15 November 2025, more than 170 events took place at 90 venues; more than 10,000 people took part.

Sustainable Berlin supports the sector
Through the Sustainable Berlin programme, visitBerlin supports the tourism and conventions sector in its sustainable development. The programme combines certification, advice, data and participation. 

Further information 
All the results of the ‘Global Destination Sustainability Index’ can be found at gds.earth. Details of Berlin’s results are available here and at about.visitBerlin.de/berlin-im-gds-index.
Information on sustainable tourism development in Berlin can be found on this page. The visitBerlin website also offers tips for a sustainable visit to Berlin.