Cork and Kerry named among world’s top 20 sustainable destinations

Cork scored a new high of 71% to secure 18th place in the Global Destination Sustainability Index, the world’s largest destination sustainability ranking programme

Evelyn O’Sullivan, manager of the Cork Convention Bureau, and Seamus Heaney, head of Visit Cork, at the announcement that Cork has been named amongst the world’s top 20 sustainable destinations. Picture: Brian Lougheed

Cork and Kerry have been named amongst the world’s top 20 sustainable destinations.

They are ranked alongside destinations including Brussels, Sydney, Zurich and Helsinki in the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index), the world’s largest destination sustainability ranking programme.

The index evaluates four key areas it believes are vital to the sustainability performance of a destination, including a city’s environmental strategy and infrastructure, its social sustainability performance, the level of industry or supplier support, and the destination management organisation’s strategy and initiatives.

Gothenburg topped the global list for the fifth year, with 88.95%, followed by Copenhagen, 85.08%, Aarhus, 82.47%, Glasgow, which is hosting the Cop26 conference is on 82.35%, and Reykjavik with 80.32%.

Cork scored a new high of 71% to secure 18th place. Kerry was ranked 13th on 74%.

CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB

Visit Cork, the official tourism body for the Cork region, incorporating Pure Cork, which promotes leisure tourism, and the Cork Convention Bureau, which targets business tourism, made the submission.

Visit Cork's Seamus Heaney said: “It's hoped that this result will help promote Cork as a ‘green’ destination to both sustainably conscious tourists and event planners.

“The process involved a year-long effort of collating data and information and is very reliant on the support of key stakeholders, especially Cork City and County Councils."

He also paid tribute to Cork Airport, Cork Chamber, the universities, Bus Éireann, Irish Rail and the Cork hotels for their collaboration.

Visit Cork first entered the GDS-Index process in 2018, scoring 42.3%, just inside the top 200. But Mr Heaney said they have worked hard with industry partners to help move up the rankings and into the top 20.

That has included the launch of a sustainability strategy in 2020, which helped boost from 23% to 70% the number of Cork Convention Bureau member hotels with active third-party sustainability certification and the launch of an annual ‘Green Award’.

Visit Cork chairman Ger O’Mahoney welcomed Cork’s placing on the index and said it would hugely encourage tourism providers in the region to adopt, promote and recognise responsible and regenerative practices.