Copenhagen makes green actions currency — bike or clean up, get free kayaks and museums

Copenhagen was enjoying record tourism — 12 million international overnight stays in 2023 — just as European cities faced overtourism backlash. Kantar research showed 82% of consumers wanted to act sustainably but only 22% had changed behaviour; Wonderful Copenhagen set out to close that intent-action gap without lecturing anyone.

Make green actions a currency: bike, pick litter or take the train, earn free kayaks and museum entry — good behaviour is the price of admission.

From 15 July to 11 August 2024, 24 attractions took part: show proof of a green action — a train ticket, a bike, a photo of litter-picking — and redeem a reward such as free kayak hire, museum entry, a vegetarian lunch or coffee. The scheme ran on trust, marketed via airport screens and bus banners, returned with more partners in 2025, and became a year-round platform on 22 June 2026.

30,000+ participants, 1,200 kg of litter collected from canals in the pilot, a 59% rise in bike rentals among participants, 7 in 10 reporting changed habits back home and 98% recommending it; TIME named it one of 2025's best inventions, and the free DestinationPay model reached 350+ destinations, with Berlin launching its own.

Copenhagen had a tourism paradox: 12 million international overnight stays in 2023 made it a poster child for the post-pandemic travel boom, while cities across Europe were protesting against mass tourism. Wonderful Copenhagen, the city's official tourism organisation, also had data showing a famous gap: 82% of consumers said they wanted to adopt more sustainable practices, but only 22% had actually changed their behaviour.

CopenPay was the bridge. From 15 July to 11 August 2024, 24 attractions — from the National Gallery of Denmark to GreenKayak and the running club Sparta — accepted green actions as payment: cycle, arrive by train, pick litter from the harbour, work in an urban garden, and you earned a free kayak tour, museum entry, vegetarian lunch or coffee. Proof was anything from a train ticket to a photo; the campaign ran on trust, promoted through airport screens and bus-side banners during the busiest month of the year.

The results surprised even its makers. More than 30,000 people participated; the pilot collected 1,200 kg of litter from canals and bike rentals among participants rose 59%. When the behaviour was evaluated, only 23% of participants said they were motivated by the reward itself, while 48% named the unique, meaningful experience — and seven in ten said they had changed habits back home.

CopenPay returned in 2025 with more partners and relaunched on 22 June 2026 as a permanent, year-round platform with 100+ participating attractions. TIME named it one of the world's best inventions of 2025, the European Commission cited it as a 'transition pathway for tourism', and in November 2025 Wonderful Copenhagen released the model free of charge as DestinationPay — more than 350 destinations have since been introduced to it, and Berlin has already launched its own version.

The campaign was built on a measurable insight — the gap between the 82% who wanted to act sustainably and the 22% who did.

It inverted payment: instead of a discount for virtue, the green action itself became the currency for an experience.

Trust-based and playful, it made good behaviour feel like a game with immediate payoffs rather than a moral tax.

It was designed to spread: the model was released free as DestinationPay, so other cities could copy instead of reinvent.

Reward the behaviour you want, not the one you don't: green actions as currency made sustainability a game with immediate payoffs — the experience, not the reward, changed habits.

After the 2024 pilot, CopenPay returned in 2025 and relaunched on 22 June 2026 as a permanent year-round platform with 100+ attractions. Wonderful Copenhagen published results of 30,000+ participants, a 59% rise in bike rentals and seven in ten participants reporting changed habits at home. TIME named CopenPay one of the world's best inventions of 2025, the European Commission highlighted it as a transition pathway for tourism, and the model was released free as DestinationPay — 350+ destinations have been introduced to it, with Berlin already running its own version.