Sweden Ranks No. 1 for Global Sustainable Tourism

Sweden has been ranked at the top of Euromonitor International’s Sustainable Travel Index, which has classified 99 countries worldwide through the lens of sustainable tourism.

“Sweden is a pioneer in lifecycle assessment research which is critical to understand the full impact of consumer behaviour and consumption patterns,” the head of travel at Euromonitor International, Caroline Bremner, pointed out in this regard.

She stressed that Sweden preserves the Arctic ice and permafrost that help halt climate change, adding that it is very engaged with Sustainable Development Goals. The Scandinavian country was followed by Finland, Austria, Estonia as well as Norway, based on the recent report released by the independent provider of strategic market research, Euromonitor International.

The report shows that European countries have been ranked in the top 20 places in the 2020s, Sustainable Travel Index, which among other things, takes into account environmental conditions and social impacts on many countries.

The following countries make the top 20 list of the Sustainable Travel Index for 2020.

1. Sweden

2. Finland

3. Austria

4. Estonia

5. Norway

6. Slovakia

7. Iceland

8. Latvia

9. France

10. Slovenia

11. Switzerland

12. Lithuania

13. Croatia

14. Czech Republic

15. Ireland

16. Germany

17. Belgium

18. Denmark

19. Netherlands

20. Portugal

Based on the Sustainable Travel Index, Bolivia and New Zealand, and Canada have shown progress in sustainable transport. The USA was positioned in 35th place, followed by the United Kingdom in 40th place, South Africa at 46th, and Japan at 53rd.

“One year on, travel bans, social restrictions, and new health protocols continue to disrupt the travel and tourism industry. The global pandemic highlighted clear flaws in traditional volume-driven tourism models which are no longer fit for purpose in the new pandemic era,” the company highlighted.