Scoop on Estonia's Top Sustainable Tourism Ranking!
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Sustainable Tourism Index Ranks Estonia Fourth
Estonia is taking the world by storm, coming in fourth place on the 2022 international sustainable tourism index. Sweden grabs the first spot, with Finland close behind in second, and Austria rounding out the top three.
Every year, Euromonitor International compiles a global scoreboard of countries' performance in sustainable tourism. This year's ranking evaluated 99 nations based on tourism's environmental, social, and economic impact.
Rainer Aavik, the head of tourism at the joint agency of EAS and Kredex, shared his thoughts on Estonia's impressive showing: "While Sweden and Finland have been at the top of the game for a while now, Estonia has been hanging in the top 10 for a few years, but this is the first time we've made it to the fourth spot."
Aavik sees the high placement as a significant advantage in international advertising for Estonia. "Though people may naturally rave about Estonia's tranquility, clean bogs, and rare sandy beaches, it's a whole different ball game when everything gets weighed and compared," he says.
Europe, the Sustainable Tourism Champion
Euromonitor's assessment of tourism's impact involves seven key indicators. Environmental sustainability, social and economic sustainability, and travel risks add up to 40%, equally valued at 10% each. Tourism service demand and environmentally friendly accommodation and transport sum up to 60%, with 20% each for individual indicators.
Beyond these categories, sub-indicators are measured, such as pollution, renewable energy, and land and water use for environmental sustainability. Social sustainability includes happiness and corruption indices, access to education, and natural resources. Demand for tourism services evaluates over-tourism, average visitor expenditure, and the role of tourism revenues in the community.
Europe dominates the sustainable tourism index, with 18 out of the top 20 countries being European. Estonia is followed by Norway in fifth place in the 2022 index, with Latvia in ninth and Lithuania in twelfth.
The study also explored consumers' willingness to shell out more for sustainable tourism services in different countries. Generally, visitors showed a readiness to pay 10-30% more for eco-friendly options.
Looking closer at Estonia, the country is renowned for its pristine environment and commitment to cleanliness. Its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% over the past decade position it well for a strong focus on environmental sustainability[1]. It's likely that Estonia excelled in areas like emissions reduction, environmental conservation, and sustainable infrastructure to claim its spot on the sustainable tourism index.
Estonia's commitment to sustainability aligns with broader European initiatives aimed at promoting eco-friendly tourism and environmental preservation, which may have contributed to its impressive ranking.
[1] Estonia is famously known as the cleanest country in the world, a feat that underscores its dedication to eco-conscious practices.
- Estonia's top ranking in sustainable tourism extends beyond its pristine environment, as it also excels in business areas such as environmental-science, particular in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% over the past decade.
- Aavik's comments suggest a potential expansion of Estonia's advertising efforts, highlighting not only its tranquil lifestyle and natural beauty but also its commitment to sustainable living in home-and-garden practices and eco-friendly transportation.
- As Europe dominates the sustainable tourism index, with 18 out of the top 20 countries being European, it's evident that Estonia's commitment to sustainability is not only a national priority but also a reflection of a broader European focus on sustainable tourism and environmental preservation.
