How this European city became the world’s most sustainable tourist destination

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Dozens of destinations around the world are grappling with the problematic effects of overtourism.

Alongside sparking housing crises and overwhelming infrastructure, the phenomenon is proving disastrous for the environment.

Authorities have been forced to experiment with mitigation measures like visitor caps and restricted access to natural sites.

But some destinations have managed to protect themselves from mass tourism thanks to decades of sustainable strategies.

The international Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index is an annual ranking that uses 70 different indicators to identify the world’s most sustainable tourist destinations.

A European city topped the ranking. Here’s the strategy behind its winning tourism model.

This European city is the most sustainable tourist destination in the world

The GDS compares over a hundred cities around the world that are committed to sustainability.

Its assessment is broken down into four key categories: destination management, supply chains, social sustainability, and environmental performance.

Specific indicators within these categories include visitor management, environmental impact of airports, safety, and climate change commitment.

For the second year in a row, Helsinki has been ranked first in the GDS Index.

“Helsinki continues to raise the bar by defining the ‘next practices’ of regenerative destination management,” says Guy Bigwood, CEO of GDS-Movement.

“Through bold climate action, pioneering sustainability strategies, and a steadfast commitment to transparency, the city demonstrates exceptional vision.”

Inside Helsinki’s winning sustainable tourism strategy

Several sustainability-related projects have helped Helsinki to claim the title. It measures the carbon footprint of tourism, promotes the city’s climate roadmap for tourism, and supports tourism businesses on the path to sustainability.

Ensuring the participation and well-being of residents is also an important factor in the development of sustainable tourism.

“We are promoting tourism with all areas of sustainability in mind, reducing negative impacts and increasing positive ones. The aim is for Helsinki to be a better place when a visitor leaves than it was before they arrived,” says Helsinki’s tourism director, Nina Vesterinen.

Helsinki’s sustainability as a tourist destination is also the result of cooperation between many different operators, according to local authorities.

For example, the increasing number of companies with environmental certifications and the more climate-friendly production of district heating and electricity have helped the city reach the top of the list.

“Up to 99 per cent of the rooms of hotels with more than 50 rooms in Helsinki are environmentally certified. This level is significantly higher than in Europe in general,” says Vesterinen.

“Similarly, more and more destinations, meeting and conference facilities, tour operators and others have environmental certifications.”

Helsinki’s sustainable strategy draws tourists

In March, Helsinki also became the first city with over half a million residents to be awarded the Green Destinations certification, which has some of the strictest criteria in the world.

The certification is recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and is an independent recognition of a destination’s efforts, achievements and positioning as a place that takes good care of its environment, people and culture.

“For Helsinki, it is essential that sustainability is transparent. Sustainability must be more than just marketing-level greenwashing, which is already demanded by EU legislation requiring environmental claims to be reliable and verifiable,” says Vesterinen.

2025 has already been a record-breaking year for tourism in Helsinki. According to Statistics Finland, the number of nights spent by international tourists increased by 19 per cent in the first seven months compared to the same period last year.

“International surveys show that a growing number of tourists are looking for more sustainable services and destinations,” says Vesterinen.

Booking.com’s 2025 Sustainable Travel Report, for example, found that more than half of travellers are now conscious of tourism’s impact on local communities as well as the environment.

What’s more, 93 per cent of respondents to the survey, which included thousands of people across six continents, said they want to make more responsible choices and have already taken steps to do so.

The tourism director says the aim now is to continue improving Helsinki’s sustainability credentials.

“A large proportion of international tourists visiting the city arrive by boat or by air, the climate impacts of which we acknowledge,” she says.

“Accordingly, we are aiming to attract more and more tourists from Finland and neighbouring European regions.”