The best cities in the world for sustainable travel

Posted on 5 June 2020

Carbon neutral travel company Tourlane recently released their list of the ‘50 Best Cities for Sustainable Travel’, in which they’ve analysed hundreds of cities the world over to consider their sustainability.

The company believes that cities are becoming much more eco-conscious as the times change, and travellers are focusing more on that aspect when choosing their next destination.

‘From Melbourne to Medellín, cities around the world are becoming increasingly eco-conscious in their public policy and travelers are responding. Whether reaching their destination by train, or opting for cities outside of the typical tourist circuit, more travelers than ever are choosing to spend their vacations in an environmentally friendly way. Sustainability is changing the way people travel,’ they write on their website.

In producing the study, researchers considered aspects such as train accessibility, public transport, the amount of cars per 1 000 inhabitants, the amount of green space, the ratio of local residents to the number of international overnight visitors, the World Air Quality Index, the percentage of total energy consumption that comes from renewable energy, and the percentage of waste that is recycled.

The following equation was used to scale the data from 1 to 10: Score (i) = 10*(x minimum)/(maximum/minimum).

The top 10 cities for sustainable travel are:

1. Berlin, Germany (total score: 53.28)

2. Vienna, Austria (total score: 52.93)

3. Munich, Germany (total score: 50.84)

4. London, United Kingdom (total score: 42.15)

5. Prague, Czechia (total score: 41.48)

6. Rotterdam, Netherlands (total score: 41.31)

7. Shenzhen, China (total score: 41.25)

8. Hamburg, Germany (total score: 40.36)

9. Zürich, Switzerland (total score: 40.04)

10. Budapest, Hungary (total score: 38.25)

Three African countries also made it on the list. Nairobi, Kenya came in 14th place with a total score of 36.25, Cape Town, South Africa in 41st with 24.18 total score and Marrakech, Morrocco in the 50th spot with a total score of 14.23.

Image credit: Pixabay




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