European destinations beat those in other regions when it comes to being deemed sustainable, according to Tripadvisor, which put Copenhagen top and Stockholm second on its list of places to go this year.
Eight of the top 10 are in Europe, including Bordeaux in third, Tripadvisor said, with Singapore and Melbourne, fifth and sixth respectively, the two non-European destinations. Ireland's Galway and Belfast came in at 9 and 10, a notch or two above Bangkok, which missed out on a top 10 slot.
The travel company put together the "Best of the Best Sustainable Destinations 2024" list with the Global Destination Sustainability Movement, which said the list of 100 cities was based on an analysis of 300,000 reviews and checks on social, economic and environmental performance.
“These cities serve as role models in sustainable tourism,” said Guy Bigwood, chief executive and “chief changemaker" at GSD-Movement.
According to TripAdvisor’s president, Kristen Dalton, the ranking "helps guide people looking to travel more sustainably while recognizing the efforts of global destinations committed to environmental change."
The category was included alongside Tripadvisor’s overall destination rankings, which had Tokyo first and in the top five in Asia. Brasov in Romania, at 21, was the top-ranked in Europe.
Lonely Planet recently published a list of the world's 100 best beaches, with Byron Bay on Australia’s east coast in first place and Greece’s Sarakiniko listed as best in Europe and fifth worldwide.
International travel looks set to exceed levels last seen in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic and travel shutdowns. Global air traffic hit 94% of 2019 last year, with international traffic at 88%, according to data from the International Air Transport Association, an airline industry body representing carriers that fly over 80% of the world’s passengers.
