Scandinavian Cities Top Sustainable Destinations List Again In 2022

If you’re looking to visit a sustainable travel destination in the years to come you should look to the Nordic region, and one Swedish city in particular. That’s the verdict of the latest edition of the Global Destinations Sustainability Index, which once again ranked Gothenburg at the top.

Sweden’s second biggest city scored an impressive 93% in the survey, with its green public transit network and local biodiversity among the reasons.

Nordic cities lead the way

Gothenburg’s achievement is a worthy story in itself, but so is the continued dominance of Nordic cities in the survey, which seeks to “showcases brave, bold, and pioneering cities, towns, and regions that recognise the urgent need to regenerate by working together to develop destinations where people, place, and planet can flourish.”

The survey ranked Norway’s Bergen in second place, followed by Denmark’s Copenhagen and Aalborg. Sweden’s capital city Stockholm ranked seven, ahead of Denmark’s Aarhus in nine and the Norwegian capital Oslo in ten.

Bordeaux in France (5th), Glasgow in Scotland (6th) and Belfast in Northern Ireland (8th) were the only non-Nordic destinations to make the top ten.

Gothenburg continues in the spotlight

Despite spending several years at the top of the chart, Gothenburg matched or improved its score in each of the four categories: DMO, social, supplier and environmental.

The recognition of Gothenburg as a global sustainable leader comes after many years of work from local authorities.

According to the report, the city of Gothenburg has “set out to become fossil-independent by 2030 and to heavily reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, from traded and non-traded sectors, by 2050.”

Among many other initiatives, it was the world’s first city to issue green bonds to stimulate investment in climate change solutions.

A sustainable travel leader

Volvo Group put Gothenburg on the transport map many years ago, but the latest chapter in the city’s transport and travel story has a strong sustainability thread.

Plans to develop a zero-emissions transport zone in the downtown district are well underway, with a goal for full implementation set for 2030. According to the report, “electric carpools, charging stations for visitors, bike and electric scooter rental services, and a taxi-fleet of 90 per cent low-emissions vehicles” are among the alternatives to fossil-fuelled transport already in place.

Leading electric aircraft developer Heart Aerospace has chosen Gothenburg as its base to create the so-called Northern Runway, a campus of production and flight test facilities.