Travel website Kayak recently released its “2023 City Index for Mindful Travelers,” which ranks a total of 167 cities around the world based on 28 different factors related to sustainability. The list includes only a handful of cities from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with Tunis, Istanbul and Tel Aviv taking the top three spots.
Top Three Cities in MENA for Mindful Travelers
Tunis ranks as the most attractive city for mindful travelers because of its relatively cheap flights, depending on the season, and wealth of local markets. Meanwhile, Tel Aviv came in second place thanks to its strides on the transport front and bike-friendly layout. Dubai rounds out the top three for offering a good number of cultural attractions and local markets to visit. Abu Dhabi and Cairo also made it onto the rankings as other notable MENA cities.
Istanbul Best Travel-Friendly City in Europe
Although Turkey’s Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya and Ankara are listed under the Europe category in the rankings, Istanbul came in as the most “travel-friendly city” overall between all of these destinations.
Canadians Increasingly Opting for Sustainable Travel
Underscoring sustainable travel dynamics globally and beyond MENA region contexts, Canadians are increasingly traveling sustainably, according to Kayak’s “City Index for Mindful Travellers.” Eleven Canadian cities, including Ottawa, Vancouver, Halifax and Victoria made it onto the top sustainable travel destination list.
Vancouver Leads in Sustainability Across North America
Further to this, Vancouver keenly ranks as the most sustainable city in Canada and across North America. Although it only ranked 38th in the world for mindful travellers’ selection purposes with Rotterdam ranking first globally for such visitors’ attractions; it is nonetheless an impressive achievement given the city’s commitment to sustainability.
Canadians Prioritize Sustainability in Travel Decisions
Kayak’s report highlights that almost half of Canadians (48%) consider a location’s sustainability credentials when choosing their travel destinations. Meanwhile, 68% of Canadians surveyed believe that there is still not enough information available for them to make sustainably-minded decisions. With this in mind, KAYAK’s city guide looks at 28 different factors when considering a city’s sustainability ranking, such as airport carbon accreditation and the available forms of transportation in a specific location.
Ottawa Particularly Notable for Sustainable Travel
Ottawa has been named as a top travel destination for 2023 by CNN and the “City Index for Mindful Travellers” rankings also boosts its ranking, as it is the most sustainable city in Ontario. Factors that contributed to Ottawa’s sustainable travel practices included the ongoing construction of energy-efficient buildings and public transportation systems working to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Sustainability concerns like those voiced by Kayak may well enable travel destinations worldwide to pay greater attention to creating greener cityscapes by implementing more widespread and innovative solutions that enable travelers to make responsible and greener choices when selecting destinations around the world.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
