COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Sept. 27, 2024 — Tourism contributes significantly to global CO2 emissions, accounting for nearly 8 per cent. With the number of international travellers projected to reach 1.8 billion by 2030, urgent action is needed. Copenhagen unveils a new tourism strategy, including an ambitious climate roadmap, urging the industry to embrace change.

 

 

This year’s World Tourism Day signifies a new era for tourism in Copenhagen. Its new strategy, All inclusive, reimagines tourism, transitioning from a passive approach to an active and conscious one. The future of all-inclusive tourism entails shared responsibility between the industry and travellers.

“When we assess the impact of today’s tourism, it falls short of being truly all-inclusive. To make tourism a catalyst for positive change locally and globally, we must acknowledge its drawbacks, such as strain on local communities and the CO2 emissions generated by transportation,” explains Mikkel Aarø-Hansen, CEO of Wonderful Copenhagen. He continues:

“However, we also need to recognize the positive aspects, such as cultural interactions and exchanges, and socioeconomic benefits. Without a comprehensive understanding, we cannot set tangible and shared goals for transforming the industry.”

Wonderful Copenhagen envisions a tourism landscape in Copenhagen that accelerates the green transition and fosters enriching encounters between locals and visitors. These goals are crucial if the tourism industry wants to address pressing challenges related to climate change and overtourism.

As part of its green ambitions, Wonderful Copenhagen has developed a new climate roadmap, outlining how the Danish capital’s tourism can achieve specific emission reductions by 2030 and 2035, respectively, on its path to carbon neutrality (net zero) by 2050 at the latest. These targets encompass key factors such as air travel, which are often overlooked in similar calculations.

“We must take concrete and ambitious steps to reduce tourism’s climate footprint. Our CopenPay initiative confirmed that travellers and attractions are genuinely motivated to adopt green practices. However, we need to accelerate and scale up these actions. With our climate roadmap, we outline our path for the climate actions we need to take in the coming years,” explains Mikkel Aarø-Hansen.  

While Wonderful Copenhagen’s new strategy establishes a clear direction for Copenhagen’s tourism, it aims to inspire other destinations as well.

“We aspire for Copenhagen to be the world’s most sustainable destination. By setting high standards, we hope to heighten the level of competition among all destinations to become greener. Ultimately, tourism is a global industry, and international collaboration is essential to transform tourism into a force for good. Copenhagen possesses both the capacity and the responsibility to contribute to this endeavor.”

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