The rating, which measured social and environmental sustainability strategies, industry supplier support, and Convention Bureau strategy and initiatives.

The results also praised Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB)’s performance as a top scorer in a comparison of convention bureaux in other Asian destinations.

The top five destinations recently received GDS-Index Awards from the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) to recognise their sustainable practices in the business tourism and events industry. 

The five highest overall scores went to Gothenburg (Sweden), Copenhagen (Denmark), Reykjavik (Iceland), Oslo (Norway) and Uppsala (Sweden) respectively. 

According to the index, the top five Asian cities with highest overall scores are Tokyo (Japan), Bangkok, Goyang (South Korea), Sapporo (Japan), and Dubai (United Arab Emirates) respectively. 

Bangkok was ranked second in Asia and 21st in the world according to the GDS-Index. The ranking 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).

Bangkok received an overall score of 58 per cent, with the convention bureau winning 69 per cent, ably beating the global benchmark of 53 per cent.

TCEB president Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya noted that this was the first time that Bangkok had participated in the GDS-Index, leaving the bureau delighted by the result.

The ranking showcases the country’s commitment to the international standard and the focus on environmental sustainability for meetings and the events industry, he said.

“Given the fact that international MICE (meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibition) travellers increasingly focus on sustainability while the GDS-Index aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this ranking certainly benefits both the MICE industry and Thailand at the same time,” said Chiruit.

The Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index) is a prize-winning grassroots Scandinavian initiative that evolved into the first-ever sustainability ranking for event destinations worldwide. The collaborative partnership between ICCA, European Cities Marketing, IMEX and MCI Group, promotes knowledge sharing, capacity building, and benchmarking.

According to ICCA and UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, Thailand ranked 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.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/Tourism/30361104