Port Douglas Daintree has again been named in the Top 100 Sustainable Destinations list along with four other Australian ECO destinations awarded a place during the first-ever online Global Green Destinations Days (GGDD20) conference this week.

Certified ECO Destination Port Douglas Daintree and four other destinations currently progressing through Ecotourism Australia’s ECO Destination Certification program including Lord Howe Island, Townsville, Bay of Plenty (NZ) and Niue Island (Pacific), have been awarded the prestigious accolade. There currently are 17 destinations in Ecotourism Australia’s program.

These five ECO Destinations are among an impressive list to be included across the world.

Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said the top 100 recognition is a nod to Douglas Shire’s natural tourism icons and the way our community champions sustainability.

“At a time when we need to cut through a competitive domestic market, this type of recognition is an invaluable marketing tool for our region,” he said.

The Sustainable Top 100 Destinations competition is organised to showcase sustainable tourism stories and good practices of destinations, as inspiring examples to others, to tour operators and to travellers. The list of five represents the highest number of destinations to be included from the Australia/Pacific region.

Being recognised among other world-leading destinations for their sustainability efforts, all nominating destinations had to provide extensive evidence and be judged by an international team of experts.

With the demand for sustainable travel experiences growing worldwide, Ecotourism Australia CEO Rod Hillman said “the ECO Destination Certification program assures travellers that certified destinations are backed by a strong, well-managed commitment to sustainable practices and provide high-quality nature-based tourism experiences within the region.

“We are working closely with destinations across the region to develop our leading ECO Destination Program paving the way for Australia to be recognised as a global leader in fostering responsible, sustainable tourism industry development that is backed up by strong action and a whole-of-destination approach,” Mr Hillman said.