The world’s leading destination sustainability benchmarking and improvement program, the Global Destinations Sustainability Index, announced its 2022 results and award winners at the 61st ICCA Congress last week.
The impact of Tourisme Montréal’s Sustainable Destination strategy is tangible; Montréal was ranked first in North America for its performance in rendering tourism and events more sustainable. Among large cities, Montréal ranks third, ahead of destinations such as Paris, Berlin, and Sydney.
The evaluation system
Cities were evaluated on nearly 70 criteria aligned with the United Nations 2030 Agenda, segmented into four main areas: environmental, social, supplier engagement, and destination management.
It’s not only Montréal's score that’s impressive, but also its progress. With a score of 74%, Montréal showed an improvement of nearly 25% over 2019. This progress is due to the implementation of the aforementioned Sustainable Destination strategy, a truly holistic intervention framework that integrates the 17 sustainable development goals set by the UN and responds to issues identified by key industry players. In particular, the organization has deployed a carbon footprint calculator and created a Best Practice Guide for eco-responsible events.
This evaluation also pinpoints areas open to improvement, such as supplier commitment with a score of 61%. Tourisme Montréal is working on ways to improve for 2023.
A word from the CEO
The cities featured in the list are said to be courageous, bold, and pioneering. Tourisme Montréal strongly recognizes the urgent need to work together to make the city a destination where visitors, citizens, and nature can thrive.
Here’s what the CEO of Tourisme Montréal had to say:
"This ranking confirms the relevance of the actions taken as part of our Sustainable Destination strategy. We are accelerating an exemplary shift for the industry, and we firmly believe that by 2030, we will ensure the organization of environmentally friendly corporate and sporting events, in addition to encouraging sustainable business practices," said Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal.
Certifiable sustainability
Montréal is North America’s most popular destination for international association meetings — and with that popularity comes certain implications. To address the environmental, social, and economic implications, earlier this year Montréal was (once again) certified by the Events Industry Council (EIC) Sustainable Event Standards.
The EIC Sustainable Event Standards are a collection of eight specific standards that assess events and industry suppliers on a wide range of sustainability criteria in support of environmental and social responsibility. Learn more…
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