Barcelona, Madrid and Malaga are the only Spanish cities to appear in the ranking
Urban travel is one of the main drivers of global travel and forecasts suggest that nearly 800 million people will visit global urban destinations annually by 2025*. According to data from a recent international survey** by KAYAK, 41% of Spanish travelers don’t have enough information to make sustainability-minded travel decisions.
To make it easier for mindful travellers to make informed choices when exploring city destinations, KAYAK, the world’s leading travel search engine, has launched the City Index for Mindful Travellers***. Out of 167 cities in 63 countries, Rotterdam took the top spot as the most attractive city for conscious travelers, followed by Amsterdam and Graz. In the case of Spain, three Spanish cities, Barcelona, Madrid and Malaga are ranked 31st, 60th and 62nd in the Index, respectively.
KAYAK’s City Index for Mindful Travellers (CIMT) is an interactive guide, designed to help travellers consider sustainability-related aspects, such as airport carbon accreditation, local traffic or air quality, in city destinations all over the world as they plan their next trip. The CIMT analysed 167 cities in 63 countries across 28 factors to help conscious travellers make more informed travel decisions. The Index also features the option to personalize the results and filter by the factors which matter the most to travellers.
Europe leads the way
Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Graz occupy the top three positions in KAYAK’s rankings, with the top ten positions going to European cities. The Dutch port city of Rotterdam scores best, with its airport boasting an advanced carbon management system certified by Airport Carbon Accreditation, a large number of competitively priced accommodations rated by Booking.com’s Sustainable Travel program ****, a large urban rail network and the longest length of cycling routes. Amsterdam in the Netherlands ranks second, world-renowned for its cycling options and pedestrian-friendly streets, with green car driving options and a large concentration of electric vehicle charging stations. Graz, Austria ranks third, with excellent rail connections, numerous electric vehicle charging stations and a UNESCO World Heritage city center to explore on foot*.
Top 10 cities ranked according to KAYAK’s 2023 City Index for Mindful Travellers:
- Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Graz, Austria
- Trondheim, Norway
- Munich, Germany
- Helsinki, Finland
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Gothenburg, Sweden
- Vienna, Austria
«According to our recent international research, four out of ten Spanish travellers don’t have enough information to make sustainability-minded travel decisions****. With the new City Index for Mindful Travellers, we are making it easier for mindful travellers to make informed choices when exploring city destinations,» says Per Christiansen, Senior Vice President of Marketing at KAYAK.
North America: Vancouver leads the way
Vancouver, Canada, and San Francisco, USA, occupy the top two spots in KAYAK’s North American rankings, just ahead of Boston, Washington DC and New York. Vancouver stands out for its air quality, while San Francisco ranks second thanks to its excellent urban rail transit system and pedestrian-friendly streets. Boston ranks third, with a multitude of electric vehicle charging stations, bike rental options and bike lanes that make it easy to get around the city with less carbon emissions.
Tokyo, leader in Asia-Pacific
Tokyo (Japan) ranked highest in the Asia-Pacific region, followed by Osaka (Japan). The Japanese capital’s local markets, theaters and art galleries are extremely accessible thanks to «pedestrian-only» and designated bike paths. Tokyo’s variety of bicycle rental options effortlessly connects commuters to the world-class rail system. In Osaka, the popularity of bicycles as a mode of transportation is triple that of cars.
Santiago soars into the top in South America
Santiago de Chile takes the grand prize in the Latin American rankings. Chile’s airport has been recognized for its excellent carbon management according to Airport Carbon Accreditation. In Quito (Ecuador), ranked second, travelers can easily rent eco-friendly cars as the city is well equipped with electric vehicle charging stations. Bogota (Colombia), a member of UNESCO’s ICCAR (International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities), rounds out the region’s top three, showing its commitment to diversity and inclusion, evident in the number of wheelchair-accessible city tours (26%).
Tunisia beats Tel Aviv
Being a conscious traveler also means supporting a destination’s culture and communities and benefiting the local economy whenever possible, for example by buying local products. In Tunisia, which tops the ranking in this region, the density of markets and the possibility of buying second-hand goods are excellent for getting into the local culture. Tel Aviv (Israel) ranks second and is notable for the number of guided walking tours, some of which are free. And while strolling from one cultural hotspot to another, travelers can find recycling points.
– NOTES –
*According to the «Global City Travel Report» published by Oxford Economics.
**An online survey was conducted by Walr among 10 markets, which achieved a total of 10173 respondents who travelled on holiday domestically or internationally in the last 5 years. 1003 Spanish respondents participated. The research fieldwork took place between December 02 – 15, 2022. Walr is a member organisation of the Market Research Society and abides by all codes of practise.
***CIMT was created by KAYAK and its portfolio of travel brands, including momondo. 167 cities in 63 countries were analyzed across 28 factors based on external and KAYAK’s own search data from March 1 to September 22, 2022. The information collected is based on the latest available data. For more information on the City Index for Mindful Travellers methodology, please visit https://www.kayak.es/viajar-responsable#methodology.
****Travel Sustainable is a program promoted by Booking.com and features more than 400,000 recognized accommodations worldwide, provides credible information on the sustainability measures adopted by a wide range of establishments around the world and offers travelers a transparent, consistent and easy-to-understand way to identify a wider variety of more sustainable stays, regardless of where they wish to travel. For more information on the Travel Sustainable program, please visit https://www.sustainability.booking.com/booking-travel-sustainable.
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