With 27 September’s World Tourism Day fresh in memory, Copenhagen, Denmark, is aiming to establish a form of tourism that does more good than harm. Tourism accounts for nearly 8% of global CO2 emissions. With the industry growing almost 6% per year, Wonderful Copenhagen (Copenhagen’s tourism board) wishes to set a precedent with its 2024-2030 strategy. The change, they claim, must take the tourism model from passive enjoyment to active and conscious engagement.
CEO of Wonderful Copenhagen Mikkel Aarø-Hansen says that this initiative will involve pressuring local communities: “If we want tourism to be a key driver for positive change locally and globally, we must include negatives,” he explains. “The CO2 emissions that come from transport”, for example, must be addressed. “But we also need to look at all the positives, such as cultural interactions and exchanges and socioeconomic effects.”
Aarø-Hansen says that customers actually share their motivation: “Our CopenPay initiative confirmed that there is a genuine motivation among travellers and attractions to take green actions. “But we need to speed up and scale up these actions.”
The plan has three main goals: Tourism in Copenhagen should accelerate the green transition locally and globally Tourism must create enriching encounters between locals and visitors as well as lasting value Tourism in Copenhagen should create larger socioeconomic value for more people
As per the initiative, Wonderful Copenhagen has developed a new climate roadmap that outlines how the Danish capital’s tourism can achieve specific emission reductions by 2030 and 2035, respectively, on its way to carbon neutrality (net zero) by 2050 at the latest. These targets include key factors such as air travel, which are not usually accounted for in similar calculations. Copenhagen hopes to inspire other destinations with its efforts.
Aarø-Hansen adds: “We hope to increase the level of competition among all destinations to be greener. Because, at the end of the day, tourism is a global business, and it takes international efforts to turn tourism into a force for good. Copenhagen has the ability and the responsibility to contribute to this endeavour.”
The Danish capital isn’t alone in its ambitions. Ottawa Tourism in Canada is also making sustainability a priority. At the upcoming IMEX America event from 8-10 October, Ottawa will be showcasing its green efforts.
In like with its Destination Stewardship Plan, Ottawa aims to launch a food recovery programme to tackle food waste, ensuring all large-scale venues are equipped with the means to donate surplus food to local organisations. The initiative is run in partnership with La Tablée des Chefs.
With a transatlantic movement underway, it remains to be seen which destinations will be the next to cotton on.
