In terms of sustainable tourism standards and green transformation for the travel industry recovery in 2020, Croatia comes 13th on the global ranking covering 99 countries, according to a report released by the Euromonitor International provider of strategic market research.

Euromonitor International has developed the new Sustainable Travel Index to assesses 99 country destinations “through the lens of environmental, social and economic sustainability, country risk as well as sustainable tourism demand, transport and lodging.”

“66.4% of consumers globally want to have a positive impact on the environment through their daily actions in 2021,”according to a new report ‘Top Countries for Sustainable Tourism’, released by the global market research company Euromonitor International at ITB Berlin.

The ranking is topped by developed European countries: Sweden ranks first, while Finland, Austria, Estonia, and Norway make top five.

Also, Slovakia, Iceland, Latvia, France, Slovenia, Switzerland and Latvia are above Croatia. Croatia fares better than the Czech Republic, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Portugal that are the other entries to make top 20.

“Sweden is a pioneer in lifecycle assessment research which is critical to understand the full impact of consumer behaviour and consumption patterns,” Caroline Bremner, head of travel at Euromonitor International, was quoted as saying. The country is highly engaged with the Sustainable Development Goals and preserves the Arctic ice and permafrost to help stop climate change, aiming to achieve net zero emissions by 2045.

Other countries also show good progress in sustainable transport and lodging. Just outside the top 20 – featuring other European countries for the most part, such as Germany and France – we find New Zealand, Bolivia and Canada, says Euromonitor International.