Madrid has risen to 21st place in the GDS-Index, organised by the Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDS), up from 49th place in 2025.
The GDS-Index measures more than seventy indicators relating to destination management and its suppliers, as well as its environmental and social impact, grouped into four dimensions: destination management, the performance of tourism suppliers, social progress and environmental performance. This assessment enables the identification of opportunities for improvement and allows the progress of cities to be tracked in areas such as tourism management, inclusion, mobility and energy.
Business tourism with a positive legacy
Through the Madrid Convention Bureau (MCB), Madrid City Council encourages conferences and professional meetings to generate social and environmental benefits that endure long after the event has taken place. To this end, it facilitates collaboration between organisers and local organisations and provides them with tools to incorporate these objectives right from the event planning stage.
These resources include the Directory of Social Organisations, which connects organisers with local associations, foundations and projects; the guide Madrid: Creating a Legacy at Your Meeting; and the handbook Madrid: 100 Ideas to Make Your Event More Sustainable. In addition to these resources is the PLUS platform, which helps to integrate sustainability and reduce the environmental impact of events right from the design stage.
An example of this model is the project developed for the European Congress on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ENCALS), held in June this year. The Madrid Convention Bureau organised a blood donation campaign, a film series in partnership with the 12 de Octubre University Hospital, and awareness-raising activities about the disease. The congress programme was designed using the PLUS platform and incorporated more than 50 initiatives aligned with six Sustainable Development Goals.
Measuring the impact and distributing the benefits of tourism
Among the sustainable measures promoted by the capital is ‘CO₂ Responsables’, a scheme designed to measure, reduce and offset the carbon footprint associated with tourist establishments and visitors, thereby facilitating the sector’s contribution to climate action and responsible consumption objectives.
Madrid has also continued to develop the “Te faltan calles” campaign, which invites people to discover its 22 tourist areas in order to spread visitor flows and economic opportunities across the city, whilst highlighting its identity, local businesses and cultural offerings.
These tourism initiatives are underpinned by an urban agenda that includes the expansion of green infrastructure, the electrification of public transport and the promotion of the circular economy. Projects such as the Bosque Metropolitano, the Paseo Verde del Suroeste and neighbourhood regeneration schemes help to integrate tourism development with Madrid’s environmental and social objectives.
Finalist in the Most Improved Destination Award
As well as climbing 28 places in the GDS Index, Madrid has also been named a finalist for the Most Improved Destination Award. This award, which is announced at the same time as the GDS Index, recognises the destinations that have made the greatest effort over the course of a year to improve their position in the rankings.
After Bremen, Madrid was the city that showed the second-greatest improvement between 2025 and 2026. After Madrid, the city of Valencia was the second finalist for this award.
