Copenhagen to reward eco-friendly tourists

The Danish capital wants to encourage travelers to come by train, travel by bicycle or pick up litter in the streets or in the city's port.

Good points for greener choices. This is the new plan from the Copenhagen Tourism Board, which announced on Monday, May 12, its intention to offer incentives to the most virtuous visitors, particularly those arriving by train in the Danish capital. The initiative, dubbed CopenPay, which will be tested on a small scale in 2024, "aims to raise awareness among travelers about traveling more responsibly," Wonderful Copenhagen CEO Soren Tegen Pedersen told AFP.

The focus is on transportation, the most polluting sector. Travelers are encouraged to arrive by train and stay longer than four days. Free bike rentals are also available. In exchange for climate-friendly action, tourists can also enjoy discounted tours, yoga classes, or free vegetarian meals. Tourists will be made aware of this through billboards and advertisements available throughout the city and on social media.

The campaign will kick off on June 17th and run for nine weeks. A total of 90 locations are participating in the campaign, in and around the capital, including the National Museum and the Copenhill urban ski slope. For Goboat, a rental service for electric motorboats powered by solar panels, participating in the experience is a way to demonstrate its commitment.

"Last year, 500 people rushed to take advantage of our offer, which consisted of a free hour of boat travel in exchange for picking up waste in the port waters. We couldn't even meet the demand," one of the company's managers told AFP. In 2024, over the course of a month, no fewer than 75,000 tourists took part in the experiment. Bike rentals increased by 29%, tons of waste were collected, and 98% of participants said they would recommend the initiative, the tourist office noted.