One of the quiet engines of that leadership has been collaboration across stakeholders. In Helsinki, tourism sustainability isn’t limited to a visitor’s carbon footprint: it extends to how energy is produced, which suppliers are contracted, how people move, what standards govern events, and even what guarantees hotels offer. A telling figure: up to 99% of rooms in properties with more than 50 keys hold environmental certification, far above the European average. This certified fabric helps fairs and congresses reduce their impacts and enables travelers to find responsible options for sleeping, eating, and getting around without friction. The GDS Index captures it across four broad categories—environmental performance, supply chain, destination management, and social sustainability—and Helsinki shows strength in all of them.
Commitment to transparency has been another hallmark. In March, Helsinki became the first city of over half a million residents to achieve GSTC certification through Green Destinations, considered among the world’s most demanding. This external validation is even more relevant in a European Union regulatory environment where green claims must be verifiable to avoid greenwashing. Helsinki’s choice to be indexed and certified isn’t self-promotion; it’s a form of governance that allows for comparison, course correction, and improvement with public data, boosting the confidence of residents, businesses, and visitors.
Economic results are keeping pace. The 2025 tourism year is breaking records: between January and July alone, international overnights grew 19% versus the same period the previous year, with a significant share coming from congress attendees. The reading is twofold: on one hand, the meetings and events segment finds in Helsinki proven infrastructure and a narrative aligned with the ESG demands of companies and organizers; on the other, leisure travelers associate the city with reliable services, clean mobility, accessible culture, and an offer that centers quality of life—even outside peak season. The virtuous circle can be seen in municipal policies that already measure tourism’s footprint, roll out a sector-specific climate roadmap, and support small and midsize businesses in their green transition.
None of this means the work is finished. The tourism authority itself acknowledges that, despite progress, there is room to better balance visitor flows and reduce transport-related emissions, especially for a destination many reach by plane or ferry. The response looks in two directions: incentivize the domestic and near-European markets to shorten travel distances and, at the same time, turn each visit into a longer, higher-value stay so that impact per day and per euro is optimized. In parallel, the city is strengthening community participation mechanisms to ensure tourism contributes to well-being and does not erode what makes it attractive. The oft-repeated goal is that Helsinki should be a better place when the visitor leaves than when they arrived—a practical, ambitious definition of regenerative tourism that today translates into measurable leadership and, if consistency holds, tomorrow into a benchmark for other European capitals.
