İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Receives “Good Travel Frontrunner Award”

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality has been honored with the Good Travel Frontrunner Award by Green Destinations & Good Travel Alliance for its pioneering efforts in sustainable tourism. The award was presented during the Green Destinations Sustainable Destinations Forum held at Dubai Expo City.

Marking its 10th anniversary, Green Destinations launched the Good Travel Alliance platform to recognize regional leaders that have set exemplary standards in regenerative and sustainable tourism over the past decade. İzmir Metropolitan Municipality was selected as one of these frontrunning institutions for its consistent and impactful work in advancing sustainable tourism.

Panel Participation

As part of the forum, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Tourism Branch Director Melih Kayacık took part in a panel titled “Sustainable Pathways: Empowering Local Leadership.” The session was moderated by Albert Salman, Founder and CEO of Green Destinations, and featured distinguished speakers including Dr. Yianni Spanos, Vice President of Expo Dubai City; Rajat Malik from the IFC–World Bank; and Dr. Chuwit Mitrchob, Deputy Director General of DASTA Thailand.

Strengthening İzmir’s Global Visibility

This recognition will further enhance İzmir’s international visibility and reputation in sustainable tourism through the global networks of Green Destinations and the Good Travel Alliance.

Sustainable Tourism Milestones

As a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), İzmir Metropolitan Municipality continues to collaborate closely with Green Destinations, a GSTC-accredited organization. Within this framework, five destinations from İzmir were featured in the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories competition. Among them, the Urla Wine Route received the 2025 Green Destinations People’s Choice Award.

Following on-site assessments by international auditors, the districts of Selçuk and Urla achieved Silver Level Sustainability Certification. Since the initiation of these efforts two and a half years ago, İzmir has garnered a total of nine international awards in sustainable tourism — solidifying its position as a model city for responsible and forward-looking destination management.