Copenhagen Launches CopenPay Tourism Program to Reward Being Green

Copenhagen’s official tourism organization is launching CopenPay, a pilot program designed to encourage tourists to travel with sustainability in mind.

Under the CopenPay initiative, travelers can “pay” for various attractions by performing climate-friendly activities, such as volunteering at an urban farm, participating in waste cleanup, or choosing public transit.

The program is launching with 24 attractions this summer, with rewards ranging from free meals to a 5 km sustainability running tour. Many of the activities have limited slots, so advance registration may be required. A full list of attractions and further details about the program can be found on the CopenPay website.

To redeem the various rewards, guests need to show proof of the green actions. This could involve showing a receipt for public transit or arriving at the attraction on foot or bicycle. The idea is to make the CopenPay program as easy as possible for tourists to access.

“It is a core task for us to make traveling sustainable. And we will only succeed if we bridge the large gap between the visitors’ desire to act sustainably and their actual behaviour,” said Mikkel Aarø-Hansen, CEO at Wonderful Copenhagen. “We want visitors to make conscious, green choices and hopefully end up getting even better experiences while they visit.”

Melissa Lee, a Travel and Leisure A-List advisor specializing in Finland, Denmark, and Sweden, praised the CopenPay initiative.

“I think the CopenPay pilot project is a pretty incredible program to get visitors to think about their travel footprint and encourage engagement in local community sustainability initiatives,” said Lee, Senior Luxury Travel Advisor, Royal Travel. “The reward system is attractive too.”

Jakki Prince, Chief Epic Officer, Prince Adventures, sees promise in the program. “Travelers are looking for meaningful ways to interact with local people worldwide. To that end, being a part of a volunteer or green initiative while on holiday could be of interest to some,” she told TMR.

Prince is a Guelph-based travel advisor with a background in environmental sciences. She approaches her travel business with a green slant but notes that sustainability alone isn’t driving sales.

“In my inquiries, I commonly have requests from travelers who wish to know about the green or sustainable initiatives of a particular supplier … but it is not appearing as a leading driver in terms of top decision-making factors, at least not yet.”

Both Prince and Lee expressed concern about trip lengths, suggesting that those staying in Copenhagen for longer trip durations would be more likely to benefit from CopenPay. “Most of my luxury clients will spend an average of three days in Copenhagen,” said Lee, noting that short stays don’t leave enough free time to volunteer.

Lee also suggested the sustainability angle might be attractive but the reward system is unlikely to resonate with her luxury clients.

“I think my luxury clients would like to volunteer as part of a planned sustainability experience where volunteering is coupled with learning about sustainability initiatives and practices in Copenhagen,” said Lee. “I don’t believe the luxury client is motivated by a reward for a free kayak or museum visit, particularly when they are booking private guided experiences.”