Sustainable travel has become a growing consideration for the modern-day traveller, with many Canadians changing their behaviours in favour of travelling more mindfully in recent years.

Travel search engine KAYAK just released their 2023 City Index for Mindful Travelers, and while Canadian cities ranked far from the top of the list, eleven are among the world’s top destinations for travellers with sustainability in mind, with Ottawa being the most sustainable city in Ontario.

Vancouver ranked first in Canada and North America, coming in at 38 out of all cities worldwide. Also on the list was Halifax at number 53 and Victoria at number 69. Ottawa ranked in between the two at 63rd.

According to the list, the top most sustainable cities globally to travel to are as follows:

1. Rotterdam, Netherlands
2. Amsterdam, Netherlands
3. Graz, Austria
4. Trondheim, Norway
5. Munich, Germany
6. Helsinki, Finland
7. Stockholm, Sweden
8. Zurich, Switzerland
9. Gothenburg, Sweden
10. Vienna, Austria

Within Canada, here are the top cities for mindful travellers:

1. Vancouver - 38 in the world
2. Halifax - 53 in the world
3. Montreal - 59 in the world
4. Ottawa - 63 in the world
5. Victoria - 69 in the world
6. Toronto - 73 in the world
7. Winnipeg - 74 in the world
8. Calgary - 89 in the world
9. Quebec City - 114 in the world
10. Kelowna - 121 in the world
11. Edmonton - 130 in the world

You can see the full list of 167 cities here.

The study found that nearly half of Canadians surveyed (48 per cent) are mindful when choosing their travel destinations, checking the location's sustainability credentials ahead of time.

However, 68 per cent feel there is not enough information out there to make sustainably-minded decisions.

KAYAK's city guide looks at 28 factors when considering a city's sustainability ranking, grouped into four categories: Travelling to, Getting around, Stay and Experiences.

Not only is Ottawa the most sustainable city within Ontario to travel to it was also named a top travel destination for 2023 by CNN.

In addition to having plenty of green space surroundings thanks to the Greenbelt, other factors boosting Ottawa's ranking on the list include the construction of energy-efficient buildings, and the city's public transportation system working to lower greenhouse gas emissions.