At Wonderful Copenhagen, we recognize tourism’s current negative impact and carbon footprint. However, we believe that with the right measures, tourism can drive positive change and innovation both locally and globally. This belief inspired the CopenPay initiative, piloted from July 15th to August 11th, 2024.

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The initiative was developed in response to a report showing that despite 82% of tourists wanting to act sustainably, only 22% do. General consumption is still increasing, but this is not the case for cultural consumption. CopenPay seeks to address this gap and reward green actions with experiences.

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To nudge visitors toward a more sustainable behavior CopenPay rewards green actions with experiences. The actions included getting around by bike or public transportation, different clean ups etc. The rewards included kayak rentals, a vegetarian lunch, a boat ride and many other things. The system is a trust-based currency that unites city partners, including tourist attractions, the municipality, and hotels, to encourage sustainable tourism and community engagement in Copenhagen. This initiative aims to raise awareness of Copenhagen’s sustainability efforts and encourage visitors to adopt a more sustainable behavior. By focusing on long-term strategies, CopenPay aims to create lasting change. We are committed to continuously evolving the initiative to tackle emerging sustainability challenges and opportunities. This includes collaborating with local businesses, international partners, and the community to develop innovative solutions that promote sustainable tourism practices.

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In an era where many destinations face challenges like over-tourism, CopenPay addresses these issues positively and engagingly, making tourism a force for good. Visitors earn rewards for climate-friendly actions, integrating sustainable tourism into the Copenhagen experience and supporting the city’s green goals. Partnering with 26 local attractions, hotels, and experiences ensures a city-wide initiative, pro-moting sustainable tourism and highlighting Copenhagen’s commitment to long-term sustainability goals.

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While other destinations struggled with protests against mass tourism, Copenhagen became known for fostering a positive relationship with tourists, where they did a good deed for the city in exchange for CopenPay.

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CopenPay became the biggest high-season tourism news story globally, covered by major outlets like CNN, Le Figaro, The New York Times, BBC, Der Spiegel, The Guardian, Times of India, China Today, and generating over 4800 news articles and $111 million in earned media. The story reached an online readership of over 3 billion, delivering a value more than 300 times our budget.  

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During the pilot project, more than 76.000 CopenPay users visited our website many of which contributed to a win-win-win scenario.

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Win for the environment and the city:

• 29% increase in sustainable transportation
• 1,200 kg of trash collected
• Thousands of hours of volunteer work

Win for the tourists:

• 5.100 participated in the initiative
• 100% of tourists were satisfied with their experience
• Many of them said that they really liked the concept because it gave them a unique experience and they could give something back to the city they visited.
• 98% would most likely recommend it to others

Win for the attractions:

• All attractions saw an increase in visitors
• All partners were happy about / satisfied with their participation in the initiative
• The majority want to recommend it to others or participate again

The EU Commission and many other destinations have reached out to us to hear about this novel concept and expressed their interest, and we are sure that CopenPay will have a significant global impact going forward.