The Danish capital of Copenhagen has become an exemplar of sustainable city tourism.
Copenhagen has in total 397km of bicycle paths, a fleet of electric harbour ferries and a majority of the hotel rooms around town are eco-certified.
And you can loan a kayak for free if you will pick up some rubbish on journey journey.
Last year, the city launched a program named CopenPay. It is a pilot program where conscious actions became a currency, allowing visitors to earn free cultural experiences.
The program exceeded all expectations. During the initial four-week run, bike rentals increased by 29%, tonnes of litter were collected, and 98% of participants said they would recommend the initiative.
As a result, CopenPay is back again in 2025. The program more than tripled in size with 100 participating attractions across Copenhagen.
They include the National Museum, Kronborg Castle in Elsinore, the National Gallery of Denmark, GoBoat, Copenhill, the Urban Garden, and Donkey Republic bike rentals. The program will run through summer until August 17.
“By integrating more conscious actions into the visitor experience, CopenPay is redefining how we in Copenhagen approach tourism," says said Søren Tegen Pedersen, CEO of Wonderful Copenhagen.
"Rather than bringing more tourists to the city, the goal with CopenPay is to nudge our visitors and raise their awareness about the choices we make, when we travel - exploring Copenhagen more consciously while being rewarded with unique experiences.”
This year, CopenPay will reward visitors who arrive in Copenhagen by train with perks such as free bike rentals, yoga sessions, guided tours, or discounted entry to some of the city’s top attractions.
Passengers who purchase SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) for their flight or come by electric car are also eligible for these rewards.
Once tourists are in the city, CopenPay also urges them to stay longer and thereby altogether travel less - by rewarding longer stays.
“The biggest climate impact from tourism comes from transportation." Pedersen adds.
"So, this year, we encourage travellers to take the train to Copenhagen. Furthermore, we want visitors to travel less but stay longer. We then reward visitors who stay four days or more by offering benefits like free bike rentals or a vegetarian meal.”
He added that the initiative aligns with Copenhagen’s ambition to become number one on the global index of most sustainable urban destinations.
“Tourism must move from being an environmental burden to a force for positive change.
"With Copenpay, we aim to raise travellers’ awareness about choices and impact. At the same time, we provide our visitors with an easy and locally based way to contribute to our city. And hopefully, they will leave inspired - both for when they return home and on their next travel.”
"With Copenpay, we aim to raise travellers’ awareness about choices and impact. At the same time, we provide our visitors with an easy and locally based way to contribute to our city. And hopefully, they will leave inspired - both for when they return home and on their next travel.”
The Copenhagen harbour has 10 public bathing zones, while GreenKayak (above) works to reduce the amount of garbage floating in coastal waters.
The idea is simple - get a free GreenKayak trip in return for collecting trash and sharing this on social media.
Other green initiatives in Copenhagen include offshore wind turbines in the Øresund Strait between Denmark and Sweden, an increasing number of electric busses, waste-removing initiatives and ‘green wave’ traffic lights for cyclists.
Images: Sankt Thomas Plaza and Green Kayak, Astrid Rasmussen/Daniel Rasmussen
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