Explore the World’s Most Sustainable Travel Destinations

While travel can be enriching and transformative, it often carries a significant environmental burden. From the carbon emissions generated by flights to the overexploitation of natural habitats, the fallout from mass tourism can be troubling. However, an increasing number of countries are embracing more sustainable tourism practices, understanding that travel can contribute positively as well as negatively.

Euromonitor International, a prominent global market research firm, has unveiled its 2023 Sustainable Travel Index, which highlights the top 20 most sustainable countries for travel worldwide. Caroline Bremner, the head of travel at Euromonitor, explains that the index employs 56 different criteria to evaluate the sustainability of travel in various nations. Among these, there are three primary categories of indicators:

• Broad indicators related to a destination's overall well-being, including happiness, equality, and social justice
• Metrics assessing the environmental impacts of tourism, such as energy consumption in hotels
• The overall state of tourism, including infrastructure quality and reliance on international visitors

Interestingly, nearly all of the highlighted countries are in Europe, with only one being located in South America.

The World’s Most Sustainable Travel Destination

According to Euromonitor International’s 2023 Sustainable Travel Index, Sweden has earned the title of the most sustainable travel destination in the world. This comes as no surprise, as Visit Sweden aims to establish itself as "the world’s most sustainable and attractive destination through innovation" by 2030, backed by significant investments. Sweden's initiatives for sustainable travel include operating all public transport in Stockholm on 100 percent renewable energy (achieved in 2017), ensuring that over 250 hotels meet the rigorous standards of the Nordic Ecolabel, a comprehensive environmental certification, and launching an ecotourism charter known as Nature’s Best to certify operators committed to sustainable practices.

The World’s Most Sustainable Travel Destinations of 2023

1. Sweden
2. Finland
3. Austria
4. Estonia
5. Norway
6. Slovakia
7. Slovenia
8. Iceland
9. Latvia
10. Switzerland
11. France
12. Lithuania
13. Denmark
14. Czech Republic
15. Germany
16. Portugal
17. Croatia
18. Uruguay
19. Romania
20. Poland

According to Bremner, Sweden has maintained its top ranking for several years, largely due to its influential flight-shaming movement.

Bremner noted, "This movement has led to a significant reduction in domestic flights, with the percentage of trips dropping from 6.6 percent to 2.7 percent."

She also highlighted that Sweden and Finland have similar cultural heritage attributes, including the absence of endangered UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which has positively influenced their rankings.

Bremner remarked that Austria stands out for its social sustainability, focusing on equality, fair job opportunities, equitable income distribution, and access to basic needs, which contributed to its impressive third-place ranking.

The 2023 Sustainable Travel Index also highlighted the ten most sustainable urban destinations, distributed globally with one in Australia, seven in Europe, and two in North America.

The World’s Most Sustainable Cities of 2023

1. Melbourne
2. Madrid
3. Seville
4. Stockholm
5. Tallinn
6. Toronto
7. Palma de Mallorca
8. Las Vegas
9. Lisbon
10. Munich

A Euromonitor International press release highlights Melbourne's extensive sustainability achievements.

Bremner noted that what sets this Australian city apart includes its efforts to retrofit buildings for reduced carbon emissions, transition to renewable energy, enhance green spaces, and host carbon-neutral events for several years.

She further mentioned that to reach net zero by 2040, Melbourne has declared a climate and biodiversity emergency, establishing eight priority areas and 76 action points within its Emissions Reduction Plan for 2026. Previously, the city successfully cut emissions by an impressive 76 percent from the baseline. The cornerstone of its decarbonization strategy is the shift to electrification and the adoption of renewables like solar panels, aimed at decreasing both carbon emissions and costs.