MICE: Bangkok ranks second in Asia on Global Destination Sustainability Index

Bangkok, Thailand came second on the list of Asian destinations in the latest Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index.

The GDS-Index, a Scandinavian initiative and the first sustainability ranking for event destinations worldwide, is a collaborative partnership between International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), European Cities Marketing, IMEX and the MCI Group.

According to the index, the top five Asian cities with highest overall scores are Kyoto (Japan), Bangkok (Thailand), Goyang (South Korea), Sapporo (Japan), and Dubai (United Arab Emirates) respectively. Bangkok ranked second in Asia and 21st in the world according to the GDS-Index.

The ranking was measured across four key areas including city environmental strategy and infrastructure (14 topics); city social sustainability performance (4 topics); industry supplier support (8 topics); and Convention Bureau (CVB) strategy and initiatives (12 topics).

President of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (Public Organization) (TCEB) Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya said: “Given the fact that international MICE travellers increasingly focus on sustainability while the GDS-Index aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, therefore, this ranking certainly benefits both MICE industry and Thailand at the same time.”

According to ICCA and UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, Thailand currently ranks fifth in Asia for international conventions and seventh in Asia for international exhibitions. Both indexes spotlighted Thailand as the number one destination for conventions and exhibitions among ASEAN countries.