Murmuration and GDS-Movement Join Forces to Tackle Sustainability Challenges

The Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDS-Movement), a data-driven international change agency driving socio-economic and environmental transformation has announced a strategic partnership with Murmuration, a statistical software suite (SAS) company harnessing satellite data and using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support sustainable tourism and environmental performance.  

This collaboration will equip destinations working with the GDS-Movement with access to Murmuration’s data-driven solutions, training, and consulting services, aimed at meeting urgent sustainability challenges in the visitor economy and building resilience for the future. 

Founded by two space engineers in 2019, Murmuration leverages satellite Earth observation and AI to deliver real-time insights for stakeholders across the visitor economy. Through intuitive dashboards, destination management organisations can monitor environmental and climate trends, assess risks, and optimise resource management. 

Examples of implementation include: 

• Environmental Monitoring: Comprehensive insights into climate risks, biodiversity, and landscape quality help destinations safeguard their natural assets and ensure a higher-quality visitor experience.  
• Carrying-Capacity Calculations: Through an analysis of each destination’s environmental, social, and economic attributes, this tool enables destinations to determine visitor levels that are more sustainable for both people and the environment. 
• Seasonality and Adaptation Modelling: Real-time and predictive data on tourism patterns and climate impacts support destinations to better manage visitor flows across seasons and better adapt to climate-related changes. 
• Tourism Attractiveness Indicators: Based on data points like air quality, water abundance, and transport sustainability levels, these indicators allow destinations to assess, track, and enhance the tourism experience’s overall appeal and comfort. 

In addition to providing these powerful insights, Murmuration will offer tailored training within the GDS-Academy, GDS-Movement partners and destinations, building local capacity for interpreting and acting on data insights. This training complements GDS-Movement’s bespoke consulting services, helping proactive destinations anticipate future challenges with data-driven sustainability, climate, and events strategies.

Guy Bigwood, Chief Changemaker of the GDS-Movement, commented: “We are excited to partner with Murmuration, whose advanced satellite and AI-driven solutions bring outstanding value to our growing community. This collaboration enables destinations to further successfully tackle critical issues, turning complex, correlated data into actionable insights. By equipping destinations with progressive tools, we can help them not only solve today’s challenges but anticipate and manage future impacts.”

Tarek Habib, Co-founder and CEO of Murmuration added: “Our partnership with GDS-Movement is a major, concrete step in the journey to achieving positive global impact. The GDS-Movement's expertise, network, and reach, powered by Murmuration's technology, enable us to better support tourism stakeholders in reaching their sustainability goals and moving into a regeneration paradigm. Together, we approach topics such as destination sustainability certification, carrying capacity and seasonality using trailblazing tools and methodologies."

This collaboration integrates Murmuration’s sophisticated data insights and training into the GDS-Movement’s suite of services, setting new benchmarks for more sustainable management of the visitor economy and helping destinations create an increasingly positive impact for years to come.