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The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Programme hosted a Knowledge Transfer Webinar on 3 June 2026 titled “Deconstructing Sustainability: How the GDS Index Can Help You Transform Your Destination.” The event brought together representatives from cities, regions, tourism organizations, and sustainability practitioners to explore how destinations can measure, benchmark, and improve their sustainability performance using the Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index.
The webinar was moderated by Sandra Marín, IURC Transfer Knowledge Manager, and Ashish Verma, IURC Community of Practice Manager and Country Coordinator for India. The session featured presentations from Guy Bigwood, CEO and Chief Changemaker of the Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Movement, Nina Zantout, Head of Destination Management at Visit Berlin, and Tony Saulters, Chief Operating Officer of Business Events Adelaide.
Understanding the GDS Index
Guy Bigwood introduced participants to the Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index, one of the world’s leading sustainability benchmarking and improvement programmes for destinations.
Since its launch in 2016, the programme has expanded significantly, evolving from 15 assessment criteria to 74 criteria across four key areas:
- Environmental and social performance
- Supplier performance
- Destination management
- Sustainability policies and governance
To date, more than 900 assessments have been conducted involving over 150 destinations worldwide.
Guy explained that the GDS Index is a benchmarking and improvement tool that enables destinations to measure progress, compare performance over time, and identify opportunities for improvement. Through its assessment platform, destinations receive evidence-based insights and recommendations that help guide sustainability strategies and decision-making.
Guy also highlighted a range of knowledge resources developed by the GDS Movement to support destinations in their sustainability journey. These include white papers on systems transformation and the European Green Claims Directive (EMPCO legislation), which provide practical guidance on sustainability governance, stakeholder engagement, and destination transformation. Participants were encouraged to explore these resources to deepen their understanding of sustainable destination management.
He also highlighted that the GDS Movement is developing additional tools and services, including a new certification initiative designed to support destinations further along their sustainability journey.
Berlin: Transforming Sustainability into Strategy
Nina Zantout demonstrated how the GDS Index has helped structure and strengthen sustainability efforts across the city’s tourism ecosystem in Berlin.
Berlin improved its GDS score from 66.2% in 2021 to 80.5% in 2025, reflecting significant progress in environmental performance, governance, and supplier engagement. One notable achievement was the increase in third-party sustainability certifications among hotels, which grew from 15% to 75% during the period.
According to Nina, the GDS framework helped Berlin identify gaps, establish priorities, and strengthen collaboration between Visit Berlin and public authorities. Sustainability is now embedded within the city’s tourism strategy, with GDS performance serving as a key performance indicator for measuring progress.
She emphasized that the framework has provided a common language and structure for stakeholders, enabling sustainability to move from a broad ambition to a measurable and actionable strategy.
Adelaide: Using Collaboration to Drive Measurable Impact
Tony Saulters presented Adelaide’s sustainability journey and highlighted the importance of partnerships and stakeholder engagement in driving meaningful change.
Over the last three years, Adelaide has steadily improved its performance in the GDS Index, moving from 77th place globally in 2024 to 54th place in 2025. The city also achieved 12th place globally for environmental sustainability, reinforcing its position as a leading sustainable destination.
Tony noted that sustainability has become an increasingly important factor for business event organizers and visitors, with growing expectations for destinations to demonstrate environmental and social responsibility.
He explained how Adelaide has worked closely with government agencies, tourism operators, businesses, universities, and community organizations to create a shared sustainability agenda. This collaborative approach has enabled the city to achieve measurable results while strengthening its competitiveness as a destination for international business events.
Key Lessons from Berlin and Adelaide
During the discussion, both speakers reflected on the challenges they encountered when embarking on their sustainability journeys.
A common theme was the importance of building momentum and engaging stakeholders from the outset. Both Berlin and Adelaide emphasized that sustainability cannot be achieved by a single organization acting alone; success depends on collaboration across public institutions, private sector partners, and local communities.
The speakers encouraged destinations to start their sustainability journey even if not all data and systems are in place. Establishing a baseline, measuring progress, and continuously improving over time were highlighted as more important than achieving immediate high rankings.
Political support, clear governance structures, stakeholder engagement, and effective monitoring systems were identified as critical enablers of long-term success.
Addressing Local Contexts and Sustainability Challenges
The webinar also featured an active exchange between participants and speakers on how sustainability assessments can account for different local realities.
Responding to a question from Ashish Verma on how the GDS framework accommodates diverse destination types—including mountain destinations, coastal cities, and rapidly growing urban areas—Guy Bigwood explained that the GDS Index does not compare destinations based on geography, wealth, size, or natural assets.
Instead, the framework evaluates how effectively destinations manage sustainability and resilience within their own context.
The GDS-Index is not designed to compare destinations based on their natural assets, geography, wealth, size, or starting point. Instead, it assesses how effectively a destination is managing sustainability and resilience within its own context.” Guy Bigwood
Participants also explored topics such as indicator updates, resilience, local food systems, stakeholder engagement, sustainable business events, and opportunities for international collaboration between destinations.
Highlighting the broader vision behind the programme, Guy Bigwood stressed the importance of peer learning and collaboration:
The whole concept of the GDS Movement is really a community programme. Collaboration and collective intelligence are key.”
Advancing Sustainable Tourism Through International Cooperation
As cities and destinations continue to address climate change, resilience, and sustainable development challenges, the webinar demonstrated how frameworks such as the GDS Index can support evidence-based decision-making, strengthen governance, foster collaboration, and accelerate sustainability transitions.
