7 Destinations On The Island of Ireland Feature In Top 40 GDS-Index Rankings

Seven destinations on the island of Ireland have made it into the top 40 Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index) rankings for 2024.

Those destinations are in descending order: Belfast (9th), Kerry (19th), Cork (21st), Galway (25th), Clare (28th) Dublin (29th) and Limerick (38th).

The top 40 list represents destinations that are demonstrating a strong commitment to sustainable tourism by effectively balancing tourism growth with environmental stewardship and community well-being. These destinations show a commitment to innovation, sustainability practices, and forward-thinking policies, with leaders from well-established and emerging regions alike.

New Entrants into the GDS-Index Top 40

Limerick and Dublin were new entrants on the list along with Victoria, Quebec City and Horsens.

For the first time, Helsinki claimed the top spot, replacing Gothenburg, which had held the leading position for several years on and off, and dropped down to second place. Copenhagen follows closely in third place, solidifying its status as a global leader in sustainable destination management.

New GDS-Index Criteria, Broader Scope

In 2024, the GDS-Index broadened its scope by introducing new criteria that focus on regenerative tourism, circular economy practices and enhanced climate action criteria. These significant updates reflect the evolving needs of modern tourism, which has resulted in a shift, with lower rankings overall for destinations in this year’s index benchmarking.

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.

The GDS-Index is a performance improvement programme to assess and accelerate the progress of a destination’s regenerative journey. It measures, benchmarks and enhances the sustainability strategies, action plans, and initiatives of more than 100 destination management organisations, municipal authorities, and their tourism supply chains. Co-founded in 2016 by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), City Destinations Alliance (CityDNA), IMEX Group, and MCI, the GDS-Index offers a resource for visitors, Destination Management Organisations, municipalities and event planners looking for destinations that offer the best in sustainability performance.

For full details on the 2024 rankings are available here.

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