Copenhagen’s green experience economy, CopenPay, has expanded to include three
times as many attractions and experiences for visitors who arrive by train.
Wonderful
Copenhagen’s CopenPay initiative aims to influence visitors’ behaviour
during their stay in Copenhagen and reward them through a ‘green actions equal
currency’ ethos. By opting to walk, ride a bike, take public transport or even collect
rubbish, visitors can earn rewards including free guided tours and discounted
entry to some of the city’s top attractions.
Now Copenpay has expanded its reward offering for those travelling
to the city by train to include free bike rentals, yoga sessions, and free and discounted
entry to three times as many attractions, on top of the existing perks. The initiative
will also run for nine weeks this year, and increase of five weeks compared to
last year.
"By integrating more responsible actions into the
visitor experience, CopenPay is redefining how we in Copenhagen approach
tourism. Rather than bringing more tourists to the city, the goal with CopenPay
is to nudge our visitors and raise their awareness about traveling in a more
sustainable way - exploring Copenhagen more responsibly while being rewarded
with unique experiences,” said Søren Tegen Pedersen, CEO of Wonderful
Copenhagen.
The United Nations projects a steep increase in global
travel with the number of arrivals increasing globally from 1.4 billion in 2019
to 1.8 billion in 2030 – so there is a need to reconsider how we travel.
“The biggest climate impact from tourism comes from
transportation. So, this year, we encourage travellers to take the train to
Copenhagen. Furthermore, we want visitors to travel less but stay longer.
Therefore, we reward visitors who stay four days or more by offering benefits
like free bike rentals or a vegetarian meal,” Søren Tegen Pedersen added.
Copenpay aligns with Copenhagen’s ambition to become number
one on the global index of most sustainable urban destinations and aims to
inspire similar initiatives globally.
Since the Copenpay initiative launch in 2024, and ran for
four weeks over summer, bike rentals increased by 29 per cent, tons of litter
were collected, and 98 per centof participants said they would recommend the
initiative.
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
