Data Appeal has developed the Destination Sustainability Index (DSI) to measure and benchmark the effectiveness of a territory’s sustainability initiatives to become more ecological, inclusive and sustainable.
Sustainability has been a major theme over the past decade and is now taking precedence more than ever before, especially at COP26, the global summit on climate change still taking place in Glasgow, UK.
People, organizations and entire destinations can no longer delay their initiatives relating to environmental sustainability, inclusiveness, equal rights and quality of life – immediate action must be taken.
After two years of development, The Data Appeal Company is excited to share the official launch of our Destination Sustainability Index, a proprietary indicator and report that will immediately allow cities, regions and countries around the world to increase awareness, measure and benchmark the state of health, sustainability and quality of life across their destination.
In order to initiate concrete actions, evaluate and improve the impact of a destination’s ethical and environmental commitment, a synthetic index must be leveraged.
Destination Sustainability Index: What it includes
Both our proprietary data and third-party data, including satellite environmental monitoring data, contribute to the determination of the index. We utilized the European Tourism Indicator System (ETIS), developed by the European Commission, as a reference point: this is the best-known and most-cited methodology for measuring tourism sustainability at a destination level.
To date, the DSI measures the following fundamental aspects of tourism sustainability:
- Environment: This encompasses factors relating to the reduction of the human impact on the environment and conservation of biodiversity. We also analyze the extent to which tourism organizations embrace policies aimed to save energy, use non-polluting products and recycle.
- Economy – Overtourism: We are able to measure the impact of tourist flows on the socio-economic scenario of the destination and the degree to which tourists are able to coexist with the local population.
- Society: The index includes data on the destination’s level of socio-cultural well-being, particularly in relation to the protection and enhancement of cultural heritage, the presence of events focused on culture and traditional/local heritage, the people’s satisfaction with the destination’s urban green areas, the destination’s level of Inclusion/Accessibility, the number of tourist accommodations accessible to people with disabilities, and satisfaction with public transportation.
- Governance: This evaluates the management of policies aimed at promoting the environmental and cultural sustainability of businesses, premises and properties as well as the coordination and promotion of initiatives to sustain and preserve tourism.
Tailor made for any territory
The Destination Sustainability Index will be available on Data Appeal Studio, our platform for territorial analysis as well as via API.
How do we do it? Thanks to our ever-growing data lake and a series of satellite imagery and high quality third-party data sources, we collect and analyze all the data related to a destination for environment, economy, society and governance.
Sustainability Data, Facts & Insights
Our aim and mission as an organization is to democratize and simplify data, supporting organizations and destinations to grow and develop their business in an effective and conscious way.
By creating the Destination Sustainability Index, we hope that the data and insights will become concrete tools to monitor the progress and improve sustainability values and initiatives.
Monitoring and analyzing the sustainability of a destination is not a choice, but a civic duty.
Little by little, each commitment taken by a company, brand or destination makes the world a better and more sustainable place – from an environmental, educational, digital and human point of view. By integrating, communicating and measuring the effectiveness of sustainability initiatives, organizations can improve the quality of life, protect the environment and ecosystems and preserve natural resources for future generations.
Would you like more information on our Destination Sustainability Index?
