Bangkok (Thailand) – January 3, 2019 (travelindex.com) – The latest Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index ranks Bangkok second among Asian destinations. The assessment, which considers social and environmental sustainability strategies, support from industry providers, and the Convention Bureau's strategy and initiatives, also highlights the TCEB's leading performance compared to other Asian destination convention bureaus that participated in the ranking.

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) recently presented the GDS Index Awards to the five leading destinations for their sustainable practices in business tourism and the events industry. The five cities with the highest overall scores are Gothenburg (Sweden), Copenhagen (Denmark), Reykjavík (Iceland), Oslo (Norway), and Uppsala (Sweden).

According to the index, the five Asian cities with the highest overall scores are Kyoto (Japan), Bangkok (Thailand), Goyang (South Korea), Sapporo (Japan) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates).

Bangkok ranked second in Asia and 21st globally in the GDS index. The assessment was based on four key areas: urban environmental strategy and infrastructure (14 topics), social sustainability (4 topics), support for industry suppliers (8 topics), and Convention Bureau (CVB) strategy and initiatives (12 topics). Overall, Bangkok achieved a score of 58%. In the area of ​​CVB performance, the city scored 69%, exceeding the global benchmark of 53%.

Mr. Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, President of the Convention and Exhibition Bureau of Thailand (TCEB), stated that Bangkok and the TCEB had participated in the GDS Index for the first time and that the Bureau was very pleased with the result. He added that the ranking underscores the country's commitment to international standards and its focus on environmental sustainability in the meetings and events industry.

“Given that international MICE travelers are increasingly placing a value on sustainability and that the GDS index aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this ranking will certainly benefit both the MICE industry and Thailand equally,” said Mr. Chiruit.

The Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS Index) is an award-winning Scandinavian initiative that has become the world's first sustainability ranking for event destinations. A collaboration between ICCA, European Cities Marketing, IMEX, and the MCI Group promotes knowledge exchange, capacity building, and benchmarking.

According to ICCA and UFI, the global association of the trade fair industry, Thailand ranked fifth in Asia for international congresses and seventh for international exhibitions. Both indices highlighted Thailand as a leading destination for congresses and exhibitions among the ASEAN countries.