Amsterdam Celebrates Saving the Planet by Flying More Executives Into It

Amsterdam has proudly climbed from 40th to 30th place in the 2026 Global Destination Sustainability Index, scoring 78.35% for its environmentally responsible tourism and conference industry. The city received praise for managing tourist crowds, improving climate policies and ensuring international events leave a positive impact. Apparently, flying thousands of executives across the planet to discuss sustainability becomes environmentally responsible once the conference centre starts separating its rubbish.

The RAI Amsterdam celebrated the achievement, highlighting initiatives such as free liver screenings during a medical congress. A genuinely useful contribution, although one suspects the planet would also appreciate a medical examination after another international aviation convention. Amsterdam's tourism authorities are particularly proud of their improved visitor management, which essentially means organising the crowds more efficiently rather than questioning why everyone needs to arrive simultaneously.

It is a magnificent contradiction: the city wants fewer emissions, more international visitors and preferably a certificate confirming that these ambitions are somehow compatible. Meanwhile, sustainability consultants continue travelling between conferences to explain why everyone should travel less. The achievement deserves recognition. After all, Amsterdam has successfully climbed ten places on a list measuring how responsibly cities welcome people who might have attended the meeting on Zoom.