Cast your mind back to summer 2024, and you might remember us reporting that Wonderful Copenhagen, the Danish capital’s tourism board, was going to be rewarding tourists for ‘good’ behaviour.
The pilot scheme, called ‘CopenPay’, rewarded visitors who partook in environmentally friendly activities such as litter-picking and cycling with a whole bunch of perks, from a free lunch to free kayak rental.
During the four-week run, bike rentals soared by 29 percent, tonnes of litter was collected and 98 percent of participants said they’d recommend getting involved. So, the scheme is making a comeback, with three times as many attractions participating and for twice as long, from June 17 to August 17.
Recommended: You’ll soon be able to get a direct sleeper train between Scandinavia and Central Europe.
This year, arriving by train is one of the ways to bag the biggest discounts, as well as by extending your stay to four days or more. Visitors who do this will be able to claim rewards including free bike rentals, yoga sessions, guided tours and even discounted entry to major attractions such as the National Gallery of Denmark and The Urban Garden.
‘Tourism must move from being an environmental burden to a force for positive change. Luckily, there is a big willingness among tourists to contribute positively to the destinations they visit,’ says Søren Tegen Pedersen, CEO of Wonderful Copenhagen, ‘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 to take more responsible actions back home and on their next trip.’
The aim is not only for Copenhagen to become the number one sustainable urban destination on the global index, but also to inspire similar schemes in other popular places. To read more or sign up, check out the CopenPay website.
When in Copenhagen
The Danish capital was also recently named as the world’s happiest city, so there are plenty of reasons to pay a visit this summer.
Check out our lists of the best restaurants, bars, museums and places to go out, as well as our guide to the city’s coolest neighbourhood, and a roundup of the top places to stay.
Oh, and these are all the ways you can be a better tourist right now.
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