Copenhagen, Copenpay is back, the project that rewards green tourists: duration and services double

CopenPay , Copenhagen ’s green experience economy, is back. The aim is to inspire tourists to make more sustainable choices. This year, the initiative, which allows visitors to ‘pay’ for experiences across the city with responsible actions, is back three times bigger and lasting twice as long as its first edition in 2024, and rewards guests for travelling by train. Last year, Copenhagen changed the global tourism agenda by introducing CopenPay as a pilot programme where green actions became a currency, allowing visitors to earn free cultural experiences for taking responsible actions. Now CopenPay is back, more than tripled in size with 90 participating attractions across Copenhagen and running for twice as long at 9 weeks.

“More aware travellers”

“By integrating more responsible actions into the visitor experience, CopenPay is redefining the way we in Copenhagen approach tourism. Rather than bringing more tourists to the city, CopenPay’s goal is to inspire and raise awareness among our visitors to travel more sustainably, explore Copenhagen more responsibly and be rewarded with unique experiences,” says Søren Tegen Pedersen, CEO of Wonderful Copenhagen.

The United Nations predicts a sharp increase in global travel, with the number of arrivals globally increasing from 1.4 billion in 2019 to 1.8 billion in 2030, so we need to rethink the way we travel. So this year, CopenPay is rewarding visitors who arrive in the city of the Little Mermaid by train with benefits such as free bike rental, yoga sessions, guided tours or discounted entry to some of the city's top attractions. And once in the city, CopenPay is also encouraging visitors to stay longer and therefore travel less, by rewarding longer stays.

Sustainable transport and long stays pay off

"Tourism's biggest climate impact comes from transport. So this year, we are encouraging travellers to take the train to Copenhagen. We also want visitors to travel less but stay longer. That's why we are rewarding visitors who stay four days or more by offering benefits such as free bike rental or a vegetarian meal," Søren Tegen Pedersen points out, explaining that the initiative is in line with the Danish capital's ambition to become number one in the global index of the most sustainable urban destinations and aims to inspire similar initiatives globally.

Booking.com’s 2025 research shows that there is great potential to transform tourism into a force for positive change, as 7 in 10 travellers aim to leave a destination better than they found it. For Søren Tegen Pedersen, “tourism needs to move from being an environmental burden to a force for positive change. Fortunately, there is a great willingness among tourists to contribute positively to the destinations they visit.”

The results of the 2024 campaign

“With CopenPay, we aim to increase traveler awareness of choice and impact. At the same time, we provide our visitors with an easy and local way to contribute to our city. And hopefully, they will leave inspired to take more responsible action at home and on their next trip,” he adds.

In 2024, the pilot program has exceeded expectations. During the 4 weeks of CopenPay last year, bike rentals increased by 29%, tons of waste was collected, and 98% of participants said they would recommend the initiative. But ultimately, CopenPay’s ambition extends beyond Copenhagen. The project aims to inspire travelers to make more responsible choices both during their stay and after they return home. Since last year, Wonderful Copenhagen has been invited to share their knowledge with more than 100 destinations around the world, and with this expanded initiative, they hope to show that the potential is not just here in Copenhagen, but everywhere.

“Tourism is cultural exchange: we teach this”

“One of the best things about tourism is the cultural exchange. We learn a lot from our visitors and, in return, we hope they leave Copenhagen inspired to cycle more, choose more plant-based meals and continue to make more responsible choices wherever they are,” concludes Søren Tegen Pedersen.

Wonderful Copenhagen is the official tourism organization of Copenhagen and organizes CopenPay in collaboration with a wide range of local partners, including attractions and the city itself.