by Louis Hanoteau and Marylou Gaissert
Many of the copenhagen citizens drive by bike. Credits: Marylou Gaissert
Imagine being a tourist in a big city and getting a free drink, coffee or ice cream. Sounds good? Then Copenhagen might be worth a visit. Two months ago, the tourist organisation “Wonderful Copenhagen” launched a pilot project called “CopenPay” in the Danish capital from 15 July to 11 August. The only thing tourists had to do to get free drinks or other rewards was to act sustainably by cycling, using public transport or helping to clean up the city by collecting litter.
What was the idea behind this initiative?
The Senior Manager Digital at ‘Wonderful Copenhagen’ was involved in the whole project. She tells us that the initiative was an idea from two companies that contacted ‘Wonderful Copenhagen’. When they decided to do the project, they only had two months to get everything up and running. She and her team contacted the potential partner companies and ended up with 24 partners. The companies were not given a budget from ‘Wonderful Copenhagen’. It was seen as an initiative mainly for tourists, but also for residents who wanted to use the city.
She says that the initiative could easily be replicated in other large cities. They have already received a number of questions from other cities wanting to know how ‘Wonderful Copenhagen’ manages everything. She mentioned that they didn’t want to attract more tourists with the initiative. That’s why they didn’t use paid advertising. The main reason was to make tourism a positive source for the whole city. “Tourism is also seen as a burden on sustainability, so it was a good way to put a positive image on tourism in terms of sustainability” she says.
Benefits everywhere?
One of the partners was the “Level Six Rooftop Bar” in the centre of Copenhagen. It is part of the ‘Scandic Hotel’ and serves drinks, bar food and snacks. Tourists arriving in Copenhagen by bike or public transport could get a free drink if they showed a photo or a train ticket.
We talked to Naja, one of the receptionists, and noticed that a lot of people came to the bar early in the day who normally wouldn’t. The bar decided to take part in the programme because they wanted to focus more on the environment and maintain ‘Scandic’s’ sustainable image. Overall, she believes that the initiative also helps the participating institutions in an economic context. “Everyone I met thought it was a good idea,” she says.
Tourists and citizens can enjoy a drink for free here if they act sustainable. Credits: Marylou Gaissert
Another partner was the National Museum. When tourists arrived by bike or public transport, they were given a free ice cream with their ticket. Pirita works in the shop at the museum and tells us that she doesn’t think there were more people in the museum, but the people who were there were happier because they got a free gift. So all in all she thinks it was a good thing and she can imagine doing it again in the next few years.
Free ice cream with the ticket for arriving by bike or public transportation. Credits: Marylou Gaissert
According to the Senior Manager, ‘Wonderful Copenhagen’ is also looking forward to starting ‘CopenPay’ again next summer, which could be a big advantage for tourists in Denmark. According to Statistics Denmark, foreign and Danish tourists spent a total of 63 million overnight stays in Denmark in 2023. This is a record after the Corona pandemic. This means that the number of tourists may increase in the future, and the initiative can help to ensure that they behave sustainably in the cities.
Development of tourism in Denmark from 2019 to 2023
This graph represents the amount of tourists in Denmark between 2019 and 2023. NB 2020 and 2021 are not considered in this graph due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Foreign and Danish tourists spent a total of 63 million nights in Denmark in 2023. This is an increase of 12.4 per cent compared to 2019 and an increase of 0.2 per cent compared to 2022. 32.2 million foreign tourists stayed in total in 2023, which is an increase of 11.5 per cent compared to 2019 and 4.3 per cent compared to 2022. 30.8 million Danish tourists stayed in total in 2023, which is an increase of 13.3 per cent compared to 2019 and a decrease of 3.8 per cent compared to 2022. Source: Visit Denmark
Opinions about the initiative
The capital in particular is a magnet for tourists. That’s why we asked people on the streets of Copenhagen what they think and if this could be a solution for more touristy cities. Leonardo from Sao Paulo in Brazil told us a lot about his life there. He thinks ‘CopenPay’ is a really good idea and he would have used it, but he doesn’t think it would work in Sao Paulo.
The critical point he sees in the initiative is that he doesn’t really know who’s funding the rewards, and he’s afraid of paying with data or anything like that:
We also met Magnus. He is a 28 year old citizen of Copenhagen. He told us that there are a lot of tourists in Copenhagen, especially in the summer, but he doesn’t mind them. He thinks tourists are a good thing for the city and says that a lot of people in Copenhagen feel the same way. He has never heard of ‘CopenPay’ before, but he thinks it is a good thing to reward people for being sustainable. “It will maybe push people to start acting sustainable even in their former country.” he says.
The Senior Manager Digital at Wonderful Copenhagen doesn’t know yet whether ‘Wonderful Copenhagen’ will continue with the project in the coming years. They are still collecting and evaluating data. “It is too early to draw a conclusion, but when I see how far it has come in the media, it is an indication that we have done something right” she says. She told us that she hopes it will be a long-term initiative.
Question for our readers:
Could you imagine setting up this initiative in Brussels and why?
Write us your opinion about that and we will address it in another article
This article is for an audience who live in big cities and reads the daily newspaper such as https://www.lesoir.be