Östersund Climbs Top 40 List of Sustainable Destinations
Östersund has made a significant leap forward in this year’s Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDSI), advancing 16 positions. The destination’s sustainability score increased from 65.7% in 2024 to 72.7% in 2025, making it one of nine new destinations qualifying for the prestigious top 40 list.
Impressive Sustainability Progress
The Global Destination Sustainability Index is an international program that helps destinations measure, compare, and develop their sustainability efforts in tourism and events. The assessment is based on four categories using international guidelines and standards, including UN global goals, GSTC destination criteria, and UNWTO recommendations.
Key Achievements
Notably, Östersund showed remarkable improvements in two critical areas:
- Supplier Performance: Increased from 50% to 61.5%
- Destination Management: Improved from 65.7% to 73.6%
”Last year, we got a clear starting point and could see where there was the greatest room for improvement. Since then, we have worked purposefully with a new strategy, deepened cooperation with the municipality, and engaged our industry councils in issues important to the industry,” says Joanna Gustafsson, process leader for sustainable destination development at Destination Östersund.
– Joanna Gustafsson
International Recognition
”We are delighted to see Östersund’s impressive progress in only their second year of the GDS-Index. Moving from 52nd to 36th place, the city shows how the index can accelerate sustainability work, help inspire a new sustainability strategy and greater industry engagement throughout local initiatives like Glocal Hero Östersund.”
– Marta Mills, Contact Person for Nordic Destinations in GDS Movement
Future Outlook
The GDSI results will serve as an important tool for directing and prioritizing efforts in Östersund’s new strategy for experience and destination development, targeting the year 2030.
The sustainability measurement for Östersund was conducted within the ”Better Tourism” project, funded by Region Jämtland Härjedalen, the European Regional Development Fund, and Destination Östersund.
