Euromonitor International released a report featuring the ‘Top Countries for Sustainable Tourism’, and Sweden ranked the best country in the world, followed by Finland, Austria, Estonia, and Norway.
The report forms part of the Sustainable Travel Index which assessed 99 destinations in 2020 through the lens of environmental, social, and economic sustainability, sustainable tourism demand, transport and lodging, and country risk.
Here is the top 20.
- Sweden
- Finland
- Austria
- Estonia
- Norway
- Slovakia
- Iceland
- Latvia
- France
- Slovenia
- Switzerland
- Lithuania
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Ireland
- Germany
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Netherlands
- Portugal
‘Sweden is a pioneer in lifecycle assessment research which is critical to understand the full impact of consumer behaviour and consumption patterns,’ said Caroline Bremner, head of travel at Euromonitor International.
The report states that Sweden is the birthplace of the flygskam (flight shaming) movement and home to climate strike activist, Greta Thunberg.
It is apparent that Sweden is working to promote rural and regional tourism in core cities while focusing on devising a sustainable tourism strategy.
‘The country also benefits from efficient transport infrastructure and alternative forms of travel besides air to help appease flight-shaming. For sustainable lodging, Sweden serves as a role model with its award-winning Nordic eco-chic architecture and design,’ Bremmer added.
In 1995, Sweden became one of the first countries in the world to initiate a carbon tax placed on carbon-intensive fuels such as oil and natural gas, something that cut down Sweden’s dependency on fossil fuels enormously.
To help stop climate change, the country preserves its Arctic ice and permafrost aiming to achieve net zero emissions by 2045.
‘As momentum grows in the run up to COP26, consumers, travel brands, destination marketing organisations, and governments continue to align to avert the climate emergency,’ says Bremner.
Picture: Unsplash
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