Today, November 17^th, Lonely Planet published its annual Best in Travel list featuring winners in three different categories for 2021: sustainability, diversity and community. Gothenburg came out top in the sustainability category, and has therefore been named the world’s Best Sustainable City Stay.

Why Gothenburg was chosen:
“Gothenburg has held the top ranking in the Global Destinations Sustainability Index since 2016 and its progressive, measurable solutions for sustainability wowed our expert panel. With a regional climate target of being fossil-independent by 2030, Gothenburg was the first city in the world to issue Green Bonds to accelerate investments in climate-oriented solutions. 97 percent of its public transport now runs on renewable energy, 95% of its hotels are eco-certified, it has a low emission zone in the centre and the airport is certified to the highest level of the Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme.”

“Once again, Gothenburg has demonstrated that we are a world-leading destination in terms of sustainability,” says Peter Grönberg, CEO of Göteborg & Co. “The city’s tourism industry and many other sectors have spent several years striving to make this a sustainable destination. We have also worked hard to promote Gothenburg as a sustainable city to foreign journalists and visitors. So we’re delighted that these efforts have now been recognised by Lonely Planet!”

Lonely Planet has adjusted the focus of its categories in view of the changed tourism conditions as a result of Covid-19. The travel guide publisher now focuses entirely on sustainability.

This is not Gothenburg’s first sustainability award. For four years, the city has been named the world’s most sustainable destination in the Global Destination Sustainability Index. Gothenburg and Málaga were also joint European Capitals of Smart Tourism for 2020.

“We – the city and its tourism industry – have worked long and hard to focus on sustainability issues,” explains Katarina Torstensson, Sustainability Officer at Göteborg & Co. “Our ambition has been to create a fantastic city to live in, featuring a broad offering and taking both the environment and people into consideration. Many bold, determined, far-sighted people and organisations contribute towards – and share – our vision of sustainable development. Naturally, these attributes also typify the atmosphere within the city and its industry.”

Link to Lonely Planet: www.lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel

Find out more about sustainable Gothenburg: https://www.goteborg.com/en/sustainability/

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