The GDS-Index is not a certification. It serves to benchmark, drive performance and accelerate the progress of a destination towards third-party verifications and accredited sustainable management systems such as Virio, Earthcheck, Biosphere and Green Destinations. 

It is not a ranking of all cities in the world: The GDS-Index benchmarks destinations that choose to participate. Each destination’s ranking reflects its performance relative to other participants for that year. The word “global” in its full name, The Global Destination Sustainability Index, refers to the intake and spread of cities, not their ranking, as we welcome destinations from anywhere on earth.