The result from the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-index) for 2022 shows that Bergen is increasingly becoming more sustainable.
After years of working with sustainable development in Bergen and increased efforts for sustainability post-covid, the result from the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-index) 2022 places Bergen 2nd among destinations worldwide working with sustainability in the travel and meetings industry. It’s the best score Bergen has had on the GDS-Index since the destination joined the GDS-Movement in 2018. With impressive gains on all categories; supplier, environmental, social and DMO, Bergen has improved substantially on the index since 2021, when Bergen then was ranked 21st.
The 2022 results shows that strategic work with sustainable development in Bergen has had a substantial impact and that Bergen’s work with sustainability is recognized, domestic and abroad. At the destination level we see that more and more suppliers in Bergen are committed to sustainable development and that the amount of Eco-labelled suppliers is increasing year by year.
Best ranked environmental destination
Much of the improvement from 2021 is due to Bergen’s efforts to achieve Visit Norway’s Label for Sustainable Destinations, that commits Visit Bergen, partners and the local government to a common sustainability strategy, working together to create a sustainable destination for the future.
Bergens efforts to reduce climate gas emission is where the city really leads the way, ranking 1st on the GDS-index environmental category. A decade's work to reduce emissions from the transport sector in Bergen has reduced climate emissions in the city and improved the air quality substantially. Since 2010 The Bergen light rail has been extended several times, with a new line opening November 2022, improving public transport in the city. And since 2020 all buses operating in the city now runs on either battery or biofuel.
The push for electric cars in Norway has put Bergen among the cities in the world with most electric vehicles per capita, with over 30% of all cars registered in Bergen being either electric or hybrid electric. Tour buses, taxis and rentals are also increasingly powered by electricity. Even the many ferries connecting the fjord region now runs on electricity. And, in 2021 The Port of Bergen opened the world’s largest on shore power supply for cruise ships, allowing three ships to run on renewable energy on the same time, while docking in Bergen. 97% of electricity consumed in Bergen already comes from renewable sources. In 2021 Bergen had in fact, among four other cities, the best air quality in Europe.
In 2022 the municipality have developed a new climate mitigation and adaptation strategy for Bergen, aiming to reduce climate emissions in Bergen with 85% by 2030.
Leading the way
This year’s good performance is inspiring, but it also to commits us not to lose any momentum in the work with sustainability in Bergen. We still have a long way to go by 2030 to make tourism and events more sustainable.
Read more
https://www.gds.earth/top-30-2022/
https://www.gds.earth/destination/Bergen/2022/
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