Discover Copenhagen: Be Sustainable with CopenPay
Situated in the vibrant capital of Denmark, Copenhagen is now setting another standard for sustainable tourism. That was done by an innovative initiative called CopenPay. It was launched as a pilot project by Wonderful Copenhagen, the city's official tourism organisation, from 15 July to 11 August. This makes it possible for tourists to experience Copenhagen's attractions through engaging activities that are friendly to the environment.
Wanting to change tourist mindsets toward sustainability, Wonderful Copenhagen launched CopenPay to bridge this attitudinal behavior gap: while 82 percent of tourists are willing to change to become more sustainable, only 22 percent show changed behavior. CopenPay seeks to inspire visitors to make green choices. Activities such as cycling, participating in clean-ups, or volunteering on urban farms bring diverse, enriching experiences all over Copenhagen. CopenPay offers various rewards, like free guided tours of the top museums, free kayak rentals, or vegetarian lunches composed of local products. Therefore, plastic waste brought by visitors to the National Gallery of Denmark can be turned into art during a workshop. The visitors may, among others, ski down the unique rooftop slope of Copenhagen’s iconic heating plant by exchange of CopenPay points earned for travel by public transport or cycling.
Mikkel Aarø-Hansen, CEO of Wonderful Copenhagen, said, “It is a core task for us to make travelling sustainable. We will only succeed if we bridge the large gap between visitors’ desire to act sustainably and their actual behaviour. We want visitors to make conscious, green choices and hopefully get even better experiences while they visit. Through CopenPay, we aim to incentivize tourists’ sustainable behaviour while enriching their cultural experience of our destination. It is an experimental and a small step towards creating a new mindset amongst travellers and one among many initiatives we are doing to make travelling more sustainable.”
” I’m happy to see initiatives such as, CopenPay. It entails bringing together our energetic cultural life with a strong commitment to sustainability by turning green actions into currency for cultural experiences. That formulates for tourists a very especial form of experiencing. Copenhagen is an environmentally friendly way to benefit the local community. This aligns perfectly with our values and ambitions to promote sustainable solutions in Copenhagen,” said Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, Lord Mayor of Copenhagen while welcoming the reform.
Copenhagen stands as a city rich in cultural heritage and many modern attractions and it is also far ahead in fostering sustainable tourism. Now, with the coming of CopenPay, travellers and global cities are inspired to strive towards eco-friendly practices.
