Kyoto Convention and Visitors Bureau to be the first Destination in Asia to Join the Global Destination Sustainability Index

As pioneering members of the GDS-Index, and in collaboration with Kyoto’s unique carbon offset program, Kyoto CVB is trailblazing the way for sustainable meetings in Asia

The birthplace of the Kyoto Protocol (COP3), Kyoto long been known as a mecca for environmentalism. Furthermore, Kyoto’s unique track record of sustainability and environmental responsibility goes far deeper, with more than 1,200 years of social stability and a deeply rooted culture of coexisting in balance with our natural environment.

In continuing with this tradition, the Kyoto Convention and Visitors Bureau (KCVB) is paving the way for sustainable meetings in Asia. As pioneering members of the GDS-Index and in cooperation with the Do You Kyoto? carbon offset program, KCVB is developing new ways of promoting environmentally friendly and sustainable meetings in Kyoto.

About the Global Destination Sustainability Index
The Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index) is the first-ever sustainability ranking for event destinations worldwide. It is a collaborative platform that aims to promote the sustainable growth of international meeting destinations based on a survey of benchmarked criteria provided by the cities.

This was originally started by the ICCA Scandinavian Chapter as a local initiative, but now has been developed and scaled up to the global level with the cooperation of the ICCA head office, MCI Group, the world’s largest professional conference organizer, and IMEX, the world’s largest meetings exhibition. KCVB is the first bureau in Asia that is taking part in the GDS-Index.

The GDS-Index is currently in its soft launch phase. The official announcement of the participating cities and ranking will happen at the 2016 ICCA Conference held at Kuching, Malaysia from November 13th – 16th.

The participating cities will be:
Aarhus, Aalborg, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Espoo, Frankfurt, Geneva, Glasgow, Gothenburg, the Hague, Helsinki, Karlstad, Kyoto, Malmö, Nantes, Oslo, Reykjavik, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Sydney, Tampere, Uppsala and Västerås.

For more information:

Yoshiaki Matsui, Matthew Stevens
Kyoto Convention & Visitors Bureau
Tel: +81 75 212 4140, Fax: +81 75 212 4121
E-mail: kyoto@hellokcb.or.jp
Website: https://meetkyoto.jp/en