by Ng Natasha Goa Sheng and Ingvild Marie Svardal
In the summer of 2024, Visit Copenhagen rewarded climate-friendly actions.
The National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen is one of the attractions that have contributed to the CopenPay scheme. Credit: Ingvild Marie Svardal
Together with 24 different attractions all over Copenhagen, the program, CopenPay, rewarded tourists with free coffee, ice cream, and even free entrance when they could prove that they contributed positively to the environment.
Rikke Holm Petersen, Director of Marketing, Communication and Behaviour in Wonderful Copenhagen, said that the purpose of the project was to raise awareness around how one can be a sustainable traveller.
“CopenPay was not about attracting tourists but about raising visitor’s awareness about the choices you make as traveller and the more responsible alternatives there is,” she elaborated.
Between July 15th and August 11th, actions such as bike instead of drive, help maintain the city, or work in an urban garden would get rewarded by the different sites.
Percentage of different sectors involved in CopenPay. Credit: Ng Natasha Goa Sheng
Since CopenPay is a pilot project, there is no benchmark from previous years. However, Petersen is saying that the project has been received very positively among tourists.
Attracting tourists
The National Museum of Denmark was one of the attractions that took part in the CopenPay project, rewarding free ice cream to visitors that could prove they had taken sustainable choices.
Cecelia, a staff member at the National Museum, said the program had attracted quite a lot of tourists to the museum.
“I think a lot of them came here for the ice-cream because they can get one after they bought the ticket”, she said.
Tourists visiting the National Museum of Denmark through public transport or bike could get a free gift from the gift shop when purchasing an entry ticket. Credit: Ng Natasha Goa Sheng
Cecelia also mentioned that CopenPay has attracted more tourists to Copenhagen and that it has resulted in a few dangerous situations on the biking path.
“It is probably good that more people took the metro or bike. However, it is quite dangerous when there are a lot of tourists, especially during the summer”, she added.
Level Six-Rooftop Bar and Terrace, another CopenPay attraction, believed CopenPay brings more advantages to both tourists and shops. “I think it is a good way for tourists to see the city. A lot of tourists will go for the places that have CopenPay because they are offering freebies and it is in walking distance for them,” Alexander, the manager of Level Six-Rooftop Bar and Terrace said.
“During the day we usually do not have a lot of people, so it was nice to get people up here during the high season and during the summer to give some good reviews and pictures of the nice view,” he added.
The manager at Level Six is positive to the project and thinks it is a great way to engage tourists. Credit: Ingvild Marie Svardal
Whether similar programs will be held again in the future, has a positive view. He said, “the concept itself is pretty simple about supporting green transport, so I wouldn’t be surprised if CopenPay came back next year.”
Future growth
Petersen says that the feedback from tourists has been very positive and especially that CopenPay makes it easier to take sustainable choices.
“They particularly seem to appreciate the positive approach – that they can give something back to the city they visit – and that CopenPay makes positive actions more accessible,” she added.
Bikes are rented out to tourists and locals near train and metro station to support green transport in Copenhagen. Credit: Ng Natasha Goa Sheng
When asked about if they think similar projects will be held again in the future, Petersen said they are considering how they can develop the initiative in the future considering the positive feedback they received about CopenPay this summer.
“We have made some analysis among tourists participating in CopenPay and we have a close dialogue with the participating attractions which we will all consider in planning the run for next year,” Petersen concluded.
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