Tallinn awarded Green Destinations gold status

TALLINN - Tallinn has achieved gold status in the international Green Destinations audit, confirming the city's targeted efforts to develop sustainable tourism, and, together with its partners, the Estonian capital city will now focus on implementing the audit's recommendations and moving toward full certification.

Margot Roose, deputy mayor responsible for tourism, said that the recognition shows that Tallinn develops tourism in a thoughtful and sustainable way.

"This is not merely a success in destination marketing, but recognition of the joint efforts of the entire city and our partners to keep Tallinn a livable, environmentally conscious, and open city. Our next step is to implement the recommendations presented in the audit to move toward full certification," Roose said.

Tallinn began the process of applying for the Green Destinations certificate in the spring of 2024. This summer's audit assessed six fields -- destination management, nature, climate and environment, culture and traditions, social well-being, and business and communication.

The highest rating was achieved in the culture and traditions category, with a score of 10. Social well-being was also very strong at 9.7, as was destination management at 9.5. The climate and environment category also received positive attention with a score of 8.5, while nature and landscapes, as well as business and communication, were noted as areas needing improvement. In summary, Tallinn received an overall score of 8.8 and compliance of 81.1 percent with the mandatory criteria of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

Green Destinations is an international framework based on the criteria of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. Since 2018, Green Destinations certification has been accredited by the GSTC. In Estonia, seven destinations are participating in the regional Green Destinations pilot program coordinated by the Business and Innovation Agency -- Tallinn, Pärnu County, the city of Rakvere, Lahemaa National Park, the city of Tartu, as well as the Saaremaa and Hiiumaa islands.

The gold-level recognition was presented to Tallinn on Monday at the Green Destinations 2025 global conference in Montpellier, France, by chair of the Green Destinations Foundation board D'Arcy Dornan.