Bordeaux Convention Bureau is the newest city to join the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index). Bordeaux is now part of a global destination sustainability movement, that seeks to engage, inspire and enable urban centres to become more regenerative places to visit, meet and thrive in.

The GDS-Index is delighted to announce that Bordeaux has become the 49th city to join the movement. As such, the city will actively participate in the collaborative platform to:

• Benchmark the sustainability of their destination and their meeting and events industry
• Improve the sustainability strategy of their Convention Bureau and Destination Management Organizations
• Increase awareness and mainstream the integration of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals into their destinations' events and visitor economy.
• Inspire clients to prize destinations with solid event sustainability initiatives
• Share their responsible business initiatives and best practices with their clients, peers and the world

Bordeaux’s Convention Bureau manager Amélie Dechenais comments that: "Bordeaux is proud to join the GDS-Index. We strongly believe that it is more essential than ever to expand our actions for sustainable development in the events industry. The Bordeaux Convention Bureau aims to be a powerful driver of this transition, involving our local actors – already very active in this field – and improving the whole experience of our business travellers."

Guy Bigwood, Managing Director for the GDS-Index comments: "Bordeaux, aside of being a touristic hotspot for wine aficionados, is also a world class host for large meetings and events. The city’s drive to make these more sustainable is commendable, and we look forward to helping Bordeaux develop a better sustainable destination strategy, improve their performance and share their tactics for change globally."

Bordeaux has already made significant efforts to create a regenerative culture to meet, live, and thrive in. The wine capital of the world has the largest urban area classified by UNESCO, and is a hub for meetings for the medical industry, academia and learning, digital economy and aeronautics.

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Amélie Dechenais, Convention Bureau Manager, Bordeaux Tourism Office, a.dechenais@bordeaux-tourisme.com

ABOUT THE GLOBAL DESTINATION SUSTAINABILITY INDEX (GDS-INDEX)

The GDS-Index is a collaborative partnership between ICCA, ICCA’s Scandinavian Chapter, IMEX, ECM and MCI Group. It measures, benchmarks and improves the sustainability strategy and performance of meetings, events and business tourism destinations. Founded by pioneering Scandinavian Convention Bureau, its purpose is to engage, inspire and enable destinations to become more sustainable places to visit, meet and thrive in.

www.gds-index.com.

ABOUT THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs)

In 2015, countries adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs are a blueprint and a call for action by all countries – poor, rich and middle-income – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection.

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/