Eco-conscious tourists in Copenhagen are rewarded
Environmental protection doesn't have to be laborious, as proven by the Danish capital. Copenhagen rewards tourists and residents with special offers if they collect trash or cycle through the city.
A free drink as a reward for a bike tour, kayaking to collect trash or an extra ski run on the waste incineration plant: With a new campaign and a series of offers, the Danish capital Copenhagen aims to encourage tourists to engage in eco-friendly behavior this summer.
As part of the initiative "CopenPay," tourists can earn rewards in bars, museums, and other attractions in the city by using the bike or metro, or collecting waste in and around city parks, beaches, or waterways. Bringing plastic waste to the Danish National Gallery SMK, for instance, allows visitors to transform it into art in a workshop. Locals can also participate in these activities.
Capital of cycling - and sustainable tourism?
The campaign, according to the tourism organization Wonderful Copenhagen, is not intended to attract more tourists to the city. Instead, it aims to make it easier for travelers to follow their eco-conscious intentions: Many tourists want to act sustainably, but few actually change their behavior, the organization stated.
Copenhagen now aims to bridge this gap by allowing tourists to take concrete actions that benefit the climate and environment. "We want visitors to make conscious, eco-friendly decisions and hopefully have even better experiences during their visit," explained Mikkel Aarø-Hansen, head of Wonderful Copenhagen. The tourism industry must be transformed from a source of environmental burden to a force for positive change. A significant step in this direction is changing the way we travel to our destinations, what we consume, and how we interact with locals.
Copenhagen has been striving for some time to be recognized as the "Capital of Sustainable Tourism." The initiative is a pilot project that runs until August 11, and ultimately aims to inspire similar initiatives in other cities around the world.
The tourism industry in Denmark, notably in Copenhagen, is embracing sustainability by encouraging tourists to collect waste and cycle, offering rewards such as free drinks and additional activities. This initiative, titled "CopenPay," extends to locals as well, inviting them to participate in eco-friendly activities like transforming plastic waste into art. The campaign, led by Wonderful Copenhagen, aims to make sustainable tourism more accessible and appealing, with the ultimate goal of inspiring similar projects internationally, contributing to Copenhagen's ambition to become the "Capital of Sustainable Tourism."
