Copenhagen’s tourist reward scheme has been made a permanent, year-round platform, allowing visitors to the Danish city to earn rewards for positive actions. And the success of the innovative sustainable tourism program is expanding as destinations across Europe, North America, and Australia adopt the concept.
In Copenhagen, visitors can jump on a bike to earn a cup of coffee, collect trash and get a kayak tour for free, or arrive by train and get a sauna experience – all examples that are designed to incentivize and change the way tourists explore Copenhagen, with positive actions replacing traditional sightseeing.
“In a time when tourists around the world are often the target of criticism, Copenhagen’s CopenPay provides a new way for tourists to engage with the city in a positive way,” says Rikke Holm Petersen, Director of Behaviour at Wonderful Copenhagen. “Inspiration and contribution seem to be the new souvenir.”
According to a survey from Booking.com (2025) 69 % of tourists wish to do something positive for the destination they visit and more than 30,000 tourists have already participated in CopenPay activities. The initiative has received global recognition, including being named one of the world’s best inventions by TIME Magazine in 2025, while the European Commission has highlighted it as “a transition pathway for tourism.”
“CopenPay is a modern-day fairytale,” says Rikke Holm Petersen. “A slightly crazy idea: that tourists would spend part of their precious holidays doing something good for the city – like collecting litter – in exchange for experiences. And just like in a fairytale, the idea turned out not to be so crazy after all.”
Tourist motivation
A new evaluation of visitor behaviour created by the analysis agency Maple reveals a surprising insight: tourists are more motivated by the positive actions they take than by the rewards they receive.
Only 23% say they are motivated by the reward itself. By contrast, nearly half – 48% – say their primary motivation is the opportunity to have a unique, meaningful and educational experience. Furthermore, seven out of 10 participants say they have changed habits back home.
This insight challenges conventional thinking about behavioural change in tourism. Rather than incentives alone driving action, it is the experience itself that truly motivates visitors.
Unique experiences
Based on these insights, CopenPay is expanding its range of experiences – making the program even more engaging and distinctive.
Visitors can take part in a growing number of hands-on exchanges across the city: collect a bag of trash and get a free organic meal at BaneGaarden, upcycle worn clothing at Designmuseum Danmark for free, or arrive by bike and gain access to concerts and discounts on cultural events.
“Our ambition is to make positive engagement with the city something people actively seek out and to give our visitors experiences and learnings, they can bring home. Last year, 7 out of 10 said they changed habits after returning home” says Rikke Holm Petersen.
Transport is a cornerstone
Transport plays a central role in CopePay. The initiative rewards visitors who choose to arrive in Copenhagen by train with a variety of incentives, including complimentary bike rentals and cycling lessons, making it easy and safe to experience the city on two wheels.
“Copenhagen is the world’s number one cycling capital, and with CopenPay we want to give visitors something they can take home with them – while also making it safer for everyone to move around the city,” says Holm Petersen.
Furthermore, tourists arriving in electric vehicles are rewarded with free parking and discounts on charging during their stay.
Global movement
Following the success of CopenPay in Copenhagen, the model was made available free of charge to destinations worldwide in February under the name DestinationPay, allowing others to adopt and adapt. Since then, more than 350 destinations have been introduced to the model and supported in bringing it to life locally. Several countries including Germany, Italy, France, the US, Canada, Japan and Australia are already preparing to launch their own initiatives this year, with Berlin having already launched its own.
“We share a lot of the same values and ambitions as Copenhagen, and therefore the CopenPay scheme to encourage positive actions and promote a new mindset amongst visitors is of great potential to the Eryri National Park. Making tourism a force for positive change is something we all should take part in, and the CopenPay model is easily adaptable for the Eryri National Park, so that is something we are actively working on,” says Alec Young, Carbon officer at the Welsh park (Snowdonia).
“The ambition is not just to scale CopenPay, but to inspire a global shift in how tourism is experienced – where engaging positively with a destination becomes part of the journey itself,” Rikke Holm Petersen concludes.
Facts about CopenPay
- Launched in Copenhagen in 2024 as a pilot initiative
- Expanded significantly in 2025
- Relaunching in 2026 as a year-round initiative with no end date
- Model made freely available to all destinations as “DestinationPay” in November 2025
- 350+ destinations introduced to the concept worldwide
- More than 30,000 participants
- 100+ participating attractions
- 59% increase in bike rentals among participants
- 1,200 kg of trash collected from canals in the pilot
- 7 out of 10 participants report changed behaviour after returning home
- Only 23% of participants are motivated by rewards, 48% by meaningful experiences
- 98% would recommend CopenPay to others
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