Belfast named as the most sustainable tourist destination in UK and Ireland

Belfast has been named as the most sustainable tourist destination in the UK and Ireland.

Through the collaborative efforts of Visit Belfast, Belfast City Council, and a wide range of tourism industry partners, Belfast now ranks as the most sustainable visitor destination in the UK and on the island of Ireland, according to the Global Destination Sustainability Index, the leading destination-level performance measurement and benchmarking tool.

The city also ranked 9th out of 100 international destinations in this year’s GDS index. The index is a third-party evaluation of the destination’s environmental, social, supplier, and destination management performance.

Read more: Belfast gets A rating on climate action

Read more: Sustainable packaging factory in West Belfast to be extended

It looks across 77 indicators assessing policies and infrastructure, destination management, and sustainability performance amongst the tourism supply-chain. It expanded the criteria this year to include regenerative tourism, circular economy practices, and enhanced climate action.

Welcoming this year’s GDS-Index results, Belfast Lord Mayor, Councillor Micky Murray, said: “Just over three years ago, Visit Belfast and Belfast City Council launched the world’s largest-ever green tourism city partnership. Today, more than 76% of Belfast’s hotel bedrooms are sustainability certified.

“Belfast ranking in the Top 10 of 100 international destinations in the GDS-Index represents another significant milestone for the city, underpinning our vision set out in the Belfast Resilience Strategy and Climate Plan.

“We want to see Belfast transition to an inclusive, zero-emissions and climate resilient economy within a generation. This ranking is very much thanks to our tourism and hospitality partners’ determination, and leadership from council and Visit Belfast, in supporting our mission to become an inclusive, carbon neutral city by 2050.

“Through The Belfast Agenda and The Bolder Vision for Belfast, we’re focused on working with our city partners to make our city centre greener, more connected, and more accessible by reducing car dominance and promoting active travel. I’m confident that the recent opening of the new Belfast Grand Central Station Transport Hub will make a significant positive contribution to achieving our goals for the city in the months and years ahead.”

Welcoming the announcement, Gerry Lennon, Chief Executive, Visit Belfast, said: “As a key driver of our local economy, creating and sustaining thousands of jobs, tourism will continue to play a vital role in Belfast’s growth, vibrancy and regeneration for many decades ahead. Our vision is one of growth of sustainable and inclusive tourism, and we have been working tirelessly with our industry and stakeholders to play our part in creating a more sustainable city.

“Our performance in the GDS Index reflects the collaborative efforts of Visit Belfast, Belfast City Council and our tourism industry partners to accelerate action on sustainability. Our ranking as a Top 10 destination in the GDS Index is a huge boost for our international reputation as a leading sustainable destination to visit, meet and live in.”

The Global Destination Sustainability Movement, which compiles the annual results said: “These exceptional locations demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainable tourism by effectively balancing tourism growth with environmental stewardship and community well-being” and acknowledged the cities’ “commitment to innovation, sustainability practices and forward-thinking policies.”

In June 2021, Visit Belfast and Belfast City Council launched the world’s largest-ever green tourism city partnership. Today, more than 76% of the hotel bedrooms in Belfast are sustainability certified.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

This post was originally published on here