Sustainability is on the minds of most tourism destinations as well as many travelers. According to the Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index, Helsinki, which is the capital city of Finland in Northern Europe has attained the top spot for the second year in a row in the list of Top 40 Sustainable Destinations (GDS Index, 2025). Its efforts to reduce the use of coal which will be completely banned in 2029, was one initiative that helped it achieve this honor, but it has also attained the designation once it became the first major European capital to have the Green Destination certification which has been the coordinated effort with many partners within its infrastructure (GDS Index, 2025). Other major cities in Europe that are on the list include Gothenberg, Copenhagen, Glasgow, Belfast, and Reykjavik (GDS Index, 2025).

On the other side of the globe, the city of Adelaide, Australia earned the distinction of becoming the Most Improved Destination as it has become the first city in that country to achieve carbon neutrality by reducing its greenhouse gas emissions enough to offset any impact. (GDS Index, 2025).

Additionally, there are some very impressive businesses that are supporting sustainability efforts including Ikea, a leading furniture and home decor retailer, that has successfully started a unique program to reduce food waste by collecting leftover food from Ikea restaurants and using it to produce renewable products such as fertilizer that can be used for local agriculture processes (Russell, 2025). They also have added more EV chargers to many locations and are collaborating to achieve net zero carbon emissions for 90% of their deliveries in the U.S. (Russell, 2025).

Food and beverage operations are also joining the ranks of sustainability with some incredibly innovative ideas. While many businesses have been shifting toward integrating farm to table concepts, Saison in San Francisco, California, is a notable one and is a Michelin-starred restaurant which has created an amazing approach using a food recycler that develops useful compost to be put back into the earth at a local winery where they grow herbs used as ingredients in various menu items (Fantozzi, 2025). They also have been proactive in creating diversity in menu planning which includes reducing the amount of beef and pork since it is responsible for large amounts of greenhouse gases that are caused by production during animal farming (Fantozzi, 2025).

Travelers are also embracing the sustainability concept and want to know that their trips will support people and their communities. A recent study by the Aruba Tourism Board of 7,000 travelers across seven countries found that 96 percent of global travelers believe that being a responsible tourist is important to them, which they define as having meaningful experiences that support the environment and local culture (Taylor, 2025).

Hospitality and Tourism business are reimagining their operations in more sustainable ways as tourists seek unique eco-friendly experiences. Stay tuned as there will be many more innovative ideas in the future.

Co-Authors: Mimi Gough & Julie Dort.   

Fantozzi, J. (2025a, September 24). Saison creates zero-waste menu with Mill Food Recycler.

RestaurantHospitality.

https://www.restaurant-hospitality.com/restaurant-operations/how-this

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GDS Index 2025 Global destinations accelerate climate action with Helsinki leading the way. (2025, September 24). https://amimagazine.global/Meetings/Destinations/GDS-Index-2025-Global-destinations-accelerate-climate-action-with-Helsinki-leading-the-way?utm_source=eNewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=eltrMtgNews&oly_enc_id=1683B6287056B9U

Russell, Z. (2025.). Ikea launches food scrap recycling pilot. Chainstorage. Retrieved September 25, 2025, from https://chainstoreage.com/ikea-launches-food-scrap-recycling-pilot

Taylor, M. (2025, September 24). The travel industry’s big shift: Why responsible tourism is the

new normal travel pulse. Travel Pulse. https://www.travelpulse.com/news/features/the-travel-industry-s-big-shift-why-responsible-tourism-is-the-new-normal