New charge for day trippers in Venice. Imminent ban on holiday rentals in Barcelona. Restrictions on the sale of alcohol in Mallorca. At a time when overrun European destinations are slapping tourists with restrictions and fees, Copenhagen is taking a different approach: rewarding visitors who act responsibly.
Starting July 15, tourists who demonstrate climate-friendly travel behavior by participating in the city’s green initiatives — including biking, train travel and cleanup efforts — will have access to museum tours, kayak rentals, free meals and more .
“We need to turn tourism from an environmental burden into a force for positive change,” said Mikkel Aarø-Hansen, CEO of Wonderful Copenhagen, the tourism organization for the Danish Capital Region. An important step in this transformation, he said, “is to change the way we move around the destination, what we consume and how we interact with the locals.”
On average, 81 percent of consumers say they want to act more sustainably, but only 22 percent have changed their behavior, according to a 2023 sustainability report from Kanter, a London-based market research group . Copenhagen’s new initiative, CopenPay, aims to bridge the gap between the desire for sustainable action and actual behavior by making climate-friendly action a currency for cultural experiences.
For example, those arriving by bike or train at CopenHill, an artificial ski slope built on top of a new waste management centre, will be able to ride down the rooftop hill for free. Other sites will allow visitors to volunteer for cleanup efforts. The National Gallery of Denmark will hold workshops on turning plastic waste into art, while the Copenhagen Surf School will offer a free lunch to surfers who participate in a 30-minute beach clean-up after their run. More than 20 attractions will participate in the pilot program over the summer.
“Our vision with CopenPay is to create a ripple effect,” said Mr Hansen. “We hope that by demonstrating the success of this and other initiatives, other cities around the world will be inspired to find their own way to incentivize more sustainable tourism behaviour, ultimately leading to a more sustainable future for all.”
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