Townsville has earned international recognition as one of the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories for 2025, with the North Queensland capital officially recognised for its innovative and community-driven response to extreme weather events.
The prestigious honour, supported by Ecotourism Australia and awarded under the Environment and Climate category, highlights Townsville's position as a global leader in sustainability, resilience and nature-based recoverysupporting residents and visitors.
Townsville was one of three ECO-certified destinations in Australia named in the Top 100 competition, with finalists now vying for the international title in their respective categories to be announced at the 2026 ITB Berlin Conference.
Townsville's story: A City Working with Nature and Biology to Rapidly Restore and Regenerate the Natural Environment Following Disasters, highlighted how the city, led by Townsville City Council, turned challenges of extreme weather into a catalyst for change.
Following a record-breaking 2025 wet season, which culminated in more than 3m of intensive tropical rain causing widespread flooding, erosion, mould outbreaks and public health risks, Council mobilised to protect residents.
A standout initiative was the city-wide rollout of organic mould treatment hubs, distributing over 20,000 litres of plant-based sanitiser to thousands of residents.
These community-based hubs empowered families to return to homes faster using non-toxic, eco-friendly solutions developed by local innovators.
Additionally during this period, Council and local contractors implemented pioneering biological treatments to ecologically activate and restore waterways, suppress odours, and prevent fish kills.
More than five hectares of land were treated across 32 sites, contributing not only to landscape regeneration, but also to building long-term resilience against future environmental challenges.
Townsville City Council Chief Sustainability Officer Greg Bruce said he was proud of the city's place as a global leader in sustainable disaster responsiveness.
"We've shown that with preparation, innovation, and strong partnerships, recovery can be both effective, environmentally responsible and support communities," Mr Bruce said.
"Townsville's inclusion in the Top 100 showcases how cities can lead with nature-based solutions, community empowerment, and circular economy thinking – this has set a global benchmark for sustainable disaster recovery and supports Townsville as an ECO-certified destination."
Townsville Acting Mayor Ann-Maree Greaney said the recognition was a great honour and reflected Townsville's resilience, adaptability, and practical approach, particularly when it came to supporting the needs of residents and visitors and assisting recovery following the severe weather event.
"In 2025, Townsville and North Queensland faced one of the toughest wet seasons in memory," Cr Greaney said.
"However, this event did present our community, including Council, local contractors and volunteers, a chance to come together and deliver practical solutions that were focused on building back a healthy city for locals and visitors while supporting the visitor economy.
"Earning a place alongside some of the world's most respected destinations in the Green Destinations Awards shows that Townsville is leading the way in sustainability, and that's something of which we can be proud.
"As a result of the challenges of severe weather, our community was able to turn adversity into opportunity with Townsville's Natural Environment Subgroup, working alongside the Local Disaster Coordination Centre, responding by leveraging biological innovations that made all the difference in mitigating the impacts of the event."
Townsville Enterprise Director of Visitor Economy and Marketing Lisa Woolfe said the destination marketing and advocacy organisation was proud of the city's growing reputation as a global eco-tourism destination.
"Townsville Enterprise congratulates Townsville City Council on this global recognition – it highlights the powerful link between sustainability and tourism and demonstrates Townsville's growing credibility on a global scale to meet current and future visitor demand," Mrs Woolfe said.
"This recognition places Townsville on the global stage as a destination that is at the forefront of sustainability – and that is something the whole city can be proud of."
