Copenhagen tries to coax tourists into better habits

This story was produced by our colleagues at the BBC.

Would you litter-pick while on vacation? In Copenhagen’s waterways, tourists have been able to paddle around in kayaks for free, provided they scoop up trash. I had a go myself, though in the city’s clean harbors, the challenge can be finding some.

The activity is part of CopenPay, a new scheme that nudges tourists to be more eco-friendly. It’s proved popular and most of the slots are booked up.

Elisabeth Friis Larsen is from the rental outfit and environmental NGO GreenKayak. “When you hear that you have to collect trash, maybe for some people it doesn’t sound like that much fun,” she said. “But when people do it, they actually find themselves enjoying being on a treasure hunt. But it’s a trash hunt.”

From sports rentals to museum visits, 20 attractions across the Danish capital have been involved in the monthlong pilot.

The idea is to encourage travelers to think and act a little more sustainably by rewarding green deeds, such as getting around the city by foot or bike. In return, there are perks like free coffee, workshops and discounted tickets.

Denmark’s compact, bike-friendly capital often ranks among the world’s greenest cities. However, record numbers of tourists have also flocked to the country since pandemic-travel restrictions have eased.

Yet Copenhagen’s carrot (rather than stick) approach stands in stark contrast to other European cities, like Venice and Barcelona. Fed up with mass tourism, those places have brought in restrictions or even seen protests.

“When you go traveling, sometimes to forget the good habits you have at home,” said Rikke Holm Petersen, director of marketing at the tourism board Wonderful Copenhagen. “We want to inspire to more conscious, sustainable mindset and behavior amongst travelers.”

“We haven’t done this to attract tourists, because obviously we have many tourists already. So the reason why we’re doing this is to make tourism to a positive force for change and not an environmental burden,” he added.

Pedaling by bike, I arrived at Øens Have — or “The Island’s Garden” in English. It’s an urban farm where — among rows of sunflowers, kale and rhubarb — more than 30 green-fingered volunteers were helping weed and harvest.

As we picked fresh coriander seeds, I spoke with its founder, Livia Urban Swart Haaland.

“There’s a waiting list of 80 people,” she said. “So there’s a great interest, and we were just happy that people have the opportunity to join in that wouldn’t have heard about it elsewhere.”

After the free vegetarian lunch, I caught up with Italian tourist Sara Carenini, who heard about CopenPay from Instagram. 

“Personally, I always find ways to be more conscious about the green issues as a tourist. It’s very hard these days to differentiate what is and what isn’t greenwashing,” she said. “If you’re a tourist, why not do it consciously? Why not do something to give back to the city?”

While the rewards program has seen lots of interest, litter-picking isn’t for everyone — especially while on vacation. And on iconic Nyhavn — Copenhagen’s picturesque, postcard street on the waterfront lined with colorful buildings and vintage sailboats — I spoke to several tourists who weren’t taking part. 

One visitor from the U.S. said that he might consider it on a two-week trip, while an American woman said it could be good for young travelers on a budget. A Dutch woman said she would consider participating in the program now that she’d heard about it.

Even locals reckon fellow Danes could do more to play their part. One man said that he finds litter frustrating but that local people are contributing as well as tourists.

For Berit Charlotte Kaae, a senior researcher in recreation and tourism at Copenhagen University, it’s a step in right direction. But how impactful this scheme will be remains to be seen. 

“I think it’s an interesting concept, and it provides some opportunities for getting involved in some local actions,” she said. “Some, I would say, are more impactful than others.”

“I think it’s an interesting carrot way of trying to change people’s behavior. In the overall picture, I don’t think it’s going to like do a really a lot for the environmental issues. And in a city where most people cycle or use public transport, the heaviest footprint is often stems from how tourists get here,” she went on. “The air travel is so much cheaper than taking a train. There’s quite a bit of cruise tourism going on in Copenhagen — a lot of the impacts from tourism comes from the transport.”

If the pilot works well, it is likely to be rolled out more widely. In the meantime, perhaps we can all do a little more to help when we’re on vacation.