Indeed, Helsinki was one of the few cities to improve its score on this year’s list, jumping up to a solid 92.43 out of 100 from last year’s 90.49. (Gothenburg, on the other hand, dropped about four points to a score of 90.83 due to the stricter judging criteria.)
Regardless, several new destinations were able to breach the revered top 40 rankings for the first time. The lesser-known Danish city of Horsens is a new entrant for 2024, cracking the top 40 at the number 39 spot. The small coastal city in Denmark with a population just below 100,000 people was lauded for its abundant bike paths and high recycling rates (just 2% of its waste goes to landfills). It joins several other destinations throughout Denmark that have repeatedly made the rankings. In fact, with eight cities honored, Denmark has the most destinations on this year’s list, which also recognized Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg, Middelfart, Svendborg, Faroe Islands, and Odense.
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Two Irish cities—Limerick and Dublin—also made the list for the first time, bringing Ireland’s total to six cities ranked in this year’s top 40. Dublin in particular was commended for its accomplishments, such as being home to the world’s first carbon-neutral convention center and its reliable, efficient, and expanding public transportation system. Kerry, Cork, Galway, and Clare were also included again in 2024, while Belfast in Northern Ireland took the list’s number nine spot.
Canada also made a strong showing, with both Victoria and Quebec City making GDS’s rankings for the first time, in part for their impressive rates of renewable electricity availability, which is 98% and 100%, respectively. Additionally, three Canadian cities returned to the list once again, including Montreal, Edmonton, and Ottawa. These were the only destinations in North America in the rankings—no US cities were deemed sustainable enough to make the list.
The top 15 most sustainable cities for travelers
- Helsinki, Finland
- Gothenburg, Sweden
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Bergen, Norway
- Aarhus, Denmark
- Bordeaux, France
- Singapore
- Oslo, Norway
- Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Sydney, Australia
- Aalborg, Denmark
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Bilbao, Spain
- Lyon, France
