Cities around the world are rethinking their approach to mass tourism and are ready to follow Copenhagen’s example by rewarding tourists with perks for sustainable behaviour.
In the Danish capital, travellers who help out in communal gardens, collect litter on a canal cleanup, or use the metro instead of hailing a taxi can earn free museum tickets, ice creams and kayak rentals.
Following the CopenPay programme’s success, other destinations have expressed interest in trying a similar approach to encourage visitors to adopt environment-friendly travel practices.
“Since launching CopenPay last summer, we’ve been met by an enormous interest from cities and tourist boards from Europe, Asia, and North America, all wanting to know more about CopenPay,” said Søren Tegen Petersen, CEO at Wonderful Copenhagen.
“So far, we have shared insights on CopenPay with more than 100 interested parties, and as we aim to contribute to a positive change globally, we are happy to share.”
One city considering its own version of CopenPay is Berlin.
“CopenPay stands out as an inspiring example of how creative measures can effectively raise awareness for more sustainable travel. In Berlin, we share this ambition,” says Sabine Wendt, CEO, VisitBerlin.
The German city of Bremen has launched a cooperative campaign with Deutsche Bahn, inspired by CopenPay.
Overnight guests arriving in Bremen by train, rather than plane, receive a surprise bag filled with vouchers and small gifts from various local tourism enterprises.