Copenhagen is once again inviting visitors to turn sustainable choices into memorable experiences, as its innovative CopenPay rewards scheme returns for summer 2025 – this time bigger, longer, and with more participating partners.
Running until 17 August 2025, CopenPay allows tourists to access benefits at 90 attractions, including the National Museum, Kronborg Castle, and the National Gallery of Denmark, in exchange for low-impact travel behaviours. Rewards can be earned by cycling, taking public transport or electric vehicles, opting for plant-based dining, or booking a stay of four nights or more.
The initiative builds on a successful 2024 pilot, which featured 24 attractions and saw a 29% increase in bike rentals during the trial. Highlights last year included free coffee for those arriving on foot to morning swim sessions, complimentary boat rides for canal litter collection, and lunch for visitors volunteering at an urban farm.
Developed by Wonderful Copenhagen, the city’s tourism board, the scheme is designed to encourage regenerative tourism — offering incentives rather than imposing restrictions or taxes, as seen in destinations such as Venice, Barcelona, and Majorca.
Rikke Holm Petersen, Director of Marketing at Wonderful Copenhagen, hopes CopenPay will eventually become a year-round programme, and says the project’s learnings will be shared internationally to inspire similar approaches elsewhere.
With over 12 million international overnight stays recorded in 2023, Copenhagen is positioning itself as a pioneer in turning tourism into a positive driver for environmental and community wellbeing, proving that in the Danish capital, sustainable travel really does pay.
