A brand new payment for Venice day trippers. A looming ban on trip leases in Barcelona. Restrictions on the sale of alcohol in Majorca. At a time when overwhelmed European locations are slapping vacationers with restrictions and costs, Copenhagen is making an attempt a distinct method: rewarding guests who act responsibly.
Starting July 15, vacationers who exhibit climate-friendly journey conduct by taking part within the metropolis’s inexperienced initiatives — together with biking, practice journey and clean-up efforts — shall be granted entry to museum excursions, kayak leases, free meals and extra.
“We should flip tourism from being an environmental burden right into a drive for constructive change,” mentioned Mikkel Aarø-Hansen, the chief government of Fantastic Copenhagen, the tourism group for the Capital Area of Denmark. An necessary step on this transformation, he mentioned, “is to alter how we transfer round on the vacation spot, what we eat, and the way we work together with the locals.”
On common, 81 % of shoppers say they need to act extra sustainably, however solely 22 % have modified their conduct, in response to a 2023 sustainable report by Kanter, a London-based market analysis group. Copenhagen’s new initiative, CopenPay, goals to bridge the hole between the need to behave sustainably and precise conduct by making climate-friendly motion a forex for cultural experiences.
As an illustration, those that arrive by bike or practice at CopenHill, a man-made ski slope constructed on prime of a brand new waste-management heart, will be capable of go down the rooftop hill totally free. Different websites will enable guests to volunteer in cleanup efforts. The Nationwide Gallery of Denmark will maintain workshops to show plastic waste into items of artwork, whereas the Copenhagen Surf Faculty will supply a free lunch to surfers who participate in half-hour of seashore cleansing after their surf course. Greater than 20 points of interest shall be taking part within the pilot program over the summer time.
“Our imaginative and prescient with CopenPay is to create a ripple impact,” Mr. Hansen mentioned. “We hope that by showcasing the success of this and different initiatives, different cities across the globe shall be impressed to seek out their approach to incentivize extra sustainable tourism conduct, finally resulting in a extra sustainable future for everybody.”
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