Manchester has made a remarkable leap in the Global Sustainability Index (GDS-Index), climbing 24 places to enter the Top 40 destinations on a list of 81 cities, ranking 35 with a score of 74%, while also becoming the leading English city in the Index.
The GDS-Index is a trusted performance improvement programme designed to assess and accelerate a destination’s progress on its sustainability journey and support destinations by offering actionable improvements.
The results come just one year after Manchester made its debut on the index, then ranking 59 with a score of 63.3%, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to sustainable tourism as it reaches one of the key targets of the Greater Manchester Visitor Economy Strategy 2025-2030.
The strategy, launched in January 2025 by Marketing Manchester, is supported by a 40-point Sustainable Tourism Action Plan to improve sustainable practices in leisure and business tourism and aimed for Manchester to be one of the Top 40 destinations in the GDS-Index and the leading city in England.
As part of the Greater Manchester Visitor Economy Strategy, Marketing Manchester has, over the past year, implemented a series of transformative initiatives that made a significant contribution to this improved ranking.
Marketing Manchester recently became a signatory of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, committing to raise its climate ambition in support of global climate goals and to delivering a climate action plan within 12 months of signing.
The Glasgow Declaration is a global initiative which aligns tourism stakeholders through climate action with goals to halve emissions by 2030 and reach Net Zero as soon as possible before 2050.
Victoria Braddock, Managing Director at Marketing Manchester, said: “Becoming a Top 40 destination on the GDS-Index – and the number one city in England – only one year after first entering is a proud moment for all of us here at Marketing Manchester. It reflects our ambition towards a greener Greater Manchester and is a result of the sustainable initiatives we have led this past year.
“And while this is an excellent result, it is also a reminder of the work we have ahead of us to become a carbon neutral city-region. We are excited to continue to work closely with our partners and local tourism and hospitality businesses, as we look to the future with a renewed determination to ensure Greater Manchester remains a leading destination in sustainable tourism.”
