Dubrovnik has been named the World’s Leading Sustainable Destination for 2025 at the World Sustainable Travel & Hospitality Awards (WSTHA). The announcement was made in Dubai, in the presence of hundreds of top executives from the global sustainable tourism industry, at a ceremony hosted at Terra, Expo City Dubai.
The Croatian city, a symbol of European tourism, was awarded for its holistic strategy “Respect the City”, a multi-level program that began in 2017 and is now an international model for managing hypertourism. Its goal is to balance economic development with the protection of UNESCO’s cultural heritage, while ensuring a high quality of life for its residents.
As part of the initiative, the city has implemented the first electric car-sharing service in Croatia, an advanced artificial intelligence system for traffic forecasting, and the Dubrovnik Pass, which combines access to attractions and real-time visitor management tools. At the same time, a reservation system for tourist buses is being implemented and close cooperation with CLIA is being implemented to better coordinate cruise traffic, with port authorities reducing congestion peaks – proof that managing flows, not absolute numbers, is key to sustainable development.
These actions have yielded measurable results: the city’s GSTC sustainability index has improved by 16% in four years, from 70% in 2019 to 86.04% in 2023, confirming continued progress across all sustainability axes.
Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković said the award rewards years of targeted interventions:
“We are deeply proud of this international recognition. Dubrovnik is a city of exceptional beauty and cultural value, but our responsibility is to ensure that it remains a vibrant city for its residents. The award proves that our approach is paying off and encourages us to continue.”
The WSTHA is held in collaboration with the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, an organization representing more than 66,000 hotels, eight million rooms, 300 brands and over 100 strategic partners worldwide.
Glenn Mandziuk, President & CEO of the Alliance, congratulated the city for its leadership:
“The distinction reflects an extraordinary commitment to innovation and collaboration. It demonstrates that responsible entrepreneurship is central to the future of the industry – a Net Positive Hospitality future.”
For his part, Justin Cooke, Executive Vice-President of the WSTHA, emphasized that Dubrovnik is a model for how destinations can protect the planet while developing tourism.
Dubrovnik, one of the most recognizable historical cities in the Mediterranean, now seems to be becoming an international reference point for the management of tourist flows and the practical application of sustainability – a message of particular interest for Greek destinations that are seeking new balances between tourism and the daily lives of residents.
