CopenPay closed its 2025 season in Copenhagen on Sunday, after a nine‑week run that rewarded visitors for sustainable actions; local NGO GreenKayak said it was fully booked throughout the period, underscoring the initiative’s environmental pull and visitor interest.
How CopenPay’s green rewards worked this summer
The 2025 edition ran from mid‑June to mid‑August and expanded the pilot tested in 2024. Travellers who arrived by train, stayed four nights or more, cycled, used public transport, volunteered in urban gardens or collected litter could “pay” with these actions to receive free or discounted experiences. Wonderful Copenhagen framed the scheme as a behavioural nudging tool rather than a visitor‑growth strategy, aligning with the city’s ambitions on sustainable urban tourism.
GreenKayak’s “pay‑with‑trash” model drew peak demand
GreenKayak—which lends kayaks for free in exchange for collecting harbour litter and sharing the activity on social media—reported full bookings during the CopenPay window. The concept allows visitors to remove waste directly from Copenhagen’s canals while experiencing the city’s waterways. GreenKayak’s founders aim to pass the 100,000‑booking milestone soon, signalling sustained demand for hands‑on, circular experiences linked to CopenPay.
Tourism trendline: steady demand in the capital
Preliminary indicators suggest another strong year for overnights in the Copenhagen region following record levels in 2024. Local industry data point to robust hotel activity in early 2025 and continued interest over the summer peak, with CopenPay acting as a visible driver for eco‑conscious travel choices rather than volume alone.
CopenPay goes regional: Berlin, Helsinki and Bremen adopt the model
After attracting extensive global coverage in 2024, CopenPay scaled up in 2025 with close to a hundred participating partners and experiences. The model is now being adapted beyond Denmark: Berlin and Helsinki, along with the German city of Bremen, have announced locally tailored versions, reflecting widening interest across Europe in sustainable tourism incentives over punitive measures.
What to watch next for the Nordics and the EU
Copenhagen’s template—rewarding lower‑emission travel modes and longer stays—could inform Nordic and EU debates on managing demand while improving residents’ quality of life. If replicated at scale, the approach may help shift visitor behaviour, reduce transport‑related emissions and embed green rewards in mainstream city‑break planning ahead of the 2026 season.
