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Sustainability in Geneva
Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation
The Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation has been committed to sustainability for several years. In line with the sustainable development objectives adopted by the UN, in 2020 it approved a new strategy for the development of sustainable urban tourism in order to respond to current social, environmental and economic issues.
This strategy is based on 5 pillars
- Accelerating the transition to a circular economy.
- Accelerating the transition to a post-carbon economy.
- Promoting local initiatives.
- Fostering a social and collective impact on the destination.
- Strengthening collaboration between tourism stakeholders.
The Geneva Tourism & Convention Foundation (GT&CF) is continuing to implement the strategy objectives for sustainable tourism that were defined in June 2021.
The actions as well as the results obtained in 2023 are presented through five strategic pillars.
Pillar 1
Objective
Reduce waste in the tourism sector by 30% by 2025 by applying the principles of circular economy (5Rs).
Action 2023
Hosting a complimentary training session in collaboration with Ecolive (an environmental consulting and management firm) focusing on energy and climate themes.
Results 2023
Three training sessions were conducted, involving five establishments. Participants implemented 12 energy and waste reduction initiatives.
Pillar 2
Objective
60% reduction in GHGs by 2030 compared to 1990.
Action 2023
Drafting an internal charter for organizing sustainable events.
Results 2023
Signing of the charter by all employees of Geneva Tourism & Congress Foundation.
Pillar 3
Objective
Encourage, promote and support local events, products, crafts and know-how.
Actions 2023
- Promoting local products from Geneva's agriculture and craftsmanship
- Regularly promoting Geneva's events and local initiatives on social media.
Results 2023
- Promoting local artisans and regional products during the setup of the pop-up stand at Jardin Anglais, featuring items like SIG water bottles, "Genève Terroir" products, Le Blanc t-shirts, La Jonx posters, etc.
- 16 Facebook posts with a combined reach in 2023 of 190,086.
Pillar 4
Objective
Achieve 85% tourist satisfaction.
Action 2023
Conduct a satisfaction survey among tourists during the summer season.
Results 2023
The survey revealed a satisfaction rate of over 90%.
Pillar 5
Objective Increase by 50% the number of actors with a “Corporate Social Responsibility” (CSR) policy and/or official certification.
Action 2023
Promotion of the Swisstainable program among destination partners through newsletters, webinars, etc.
Results 2023
87 partners have joined or are in the process of joining the Swisstainable program.
Geneva is taking action for sustainable tourism
As a member of the Global Destination Sustainability Index, the Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation has been committed to sustainability for several years. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations, in 2020 it approved a new strategy for the development of sustainable urban tourism in order to respond to current social, environmental and economic challenges.
GDS-Index
Geneva Tourism has been a member of the Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDS-M) since 2016. The GDS Movement is a collaborative project between the CEM, ICCA, IMEX and MCI that aims to help destinations, event organisers and suppliers promote the adoption of sustainable practices in their city and in the global tourism industry.
The GDS-Index was developed in 2016 and assesses destinations through their environmental, social, supplier and destination management performance. This assessment ranks destinations according to their sustainability performance. The index enables best practices to be collected and provides a platform for exchanges between destinations.
In 2022, Geneva had a GDS-Index benchmark score of 69.7%, compared with the world average of 61.56%.
In 2023, Geneva is the second Swiss city in the GDS-Index ranking, after Zurich, with a score of 73.3% - up 5.1% on 2022.
Performance results :
- Environmental: 83.3% (5.25% Increase)
- Social: 76.3% (3.33% Decrease )
- Supplier 73% (17.13% Increase)
- DMO 62.2% (2.74% Increase )
Swisstainable
Geneva is committed to sustainable tourism
The Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation is proud to have joined the Swisstainable Level II programme, which validates its commitment to sustainability within the destination. All teams are united on the road to sustainable tourism!
Geneva partner of MyClimate “Cause We Care”
MyClimate “Cause We Care” is an initiative for climate protection and sustainable tourism in Switzerland. It enables visitors to our destination to contribute to climate protection by offsetting the CO2 emissions generated during their visit. Thus, by purchasing a Geneva City Pass, a Choco Pass or one of our public tours, 1 CHF is automatically donated to “Cause We Care”.
In order to maximise its effect, the Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation doubles the contributions and donates an additional CHF 1.
Thanks to this fund, the FGT&C supports a project for the ecological management of waste in Kenya, a local environmental protection association and is involved in its own climate protection actions.
The fund created between 15 March and 15 November 2022 by these offsets corresponds to CHF 8038. This was reinvested in support of the Cause We Care project "Ecological waste management, creating jobs in Kenya," through a donation to the Association pour la Sauvegarde du Léman and in the implementation of the GT&C Foundation’s sustainability actions.
Accessibility with OK:GO
OK:GO promotes the provision of information on the accessibility of tourist facilities throughout Switzerland. The information should be up-to-date, uniform and easy to find for everyone.
- To see the profile of our Tourist Information Centre in Geneva Gare Cornavin Click here
- To see the profile of our Summer Tourist Information Centre in Geneva Jardin anglais Click here
The State Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and adopted the new revision of the Cantonal Climate Plan in June 2021.
Canton and city
The Canton, the City and the Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation are working together on a daily basis to respond to current social, environmental and economic challenges. As a keen traveller, you...
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