Why we do this

The travel industry has seen a big transformation over the last twenty years, driven by technological advancement and increased awareness around sustainability and respect for the local communities. Gothenburg has done well in this transformation, with several consecutive awards as the world’s most sustainable tourist destination. This has inspired us to share our learnings and help others develop in a positive direction.

Since this journey started, the global tourism has seen a massive disruption. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed what we thought we knew, and the crisis has underlined the need for innovative and creative thinking in rebuilding and rethinking tourism.

How we put together the list

In the beginning of 2020, Göteborg & Co embarked on a curious journey together with Group NAO to explore some of the most inspirational ideas for better tourism in cities around the world. The work we have done throughout the year has now resulted in a catalogue with 101 sustainable ideas for better tourism. And we believe this is more vital than ever now.

The 101 ideas of this catalogue are not ours to begin with – they are the ideas of social entrepreneurs, innovative business founders, visionary codebreakers and imaginary doers driven by a strong sense of making a difference.

Criterias for inclusion

In our research, we have been looking especially for ideas that relate to city life and urban tourism with a high degree of innovation and creativity. The ideas relate to travel and tourism in a broad sense – considering the visitor eco-system of urban destinations and in some cases also approaching ideas that encourage tourism as a resource for other, more sustainable purposes. All the ideas have been categorised across one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Visit the World's most sustainable destination webpage here

Visit Goteborg & Co sustainability webpage here

Gothenburg – the European Capital of Smart Tourism 2020 webpage here

Read Goteborg & Co Sustainability Statement here