Sustainable Practices in Planning and Management Strategies: A Case Study of Copenhagen

Introduction:

Regarding sustainability and environmentally friendly policies, Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, has taken the lead (Alkhani, 2020). Since it is a centre of culture, history, and tourism, the city understands its power to influence discussions on sustainable development (Liburd, Menke, & Tomej, 2023) due to its size and popularity. It recognizes that striking a balance between the tourism industry’s financial benefits and the social and environmental costs is desirable and essential (ema, 2020). According to Liu, Fryd, and Zhang (2019), in response, Copenhagen has begun a comprehensive journey to integrate sustainability into the fundamental fabric of its planning and management practices.

Copenhagen’s strategy for becoming a responsible tourism destination rest on three pillars: planning, management, and sustainable development (Baerenholdt and Meged, 2023). Gretzel (2022) and Florido-Bentez (2022) argue that destination planning entails deliberate choice-making about a city’s tourism offerings, infrastructure, and resources. Urban design, public transit, and lodging heavily affect the tourist experience and the city’s landscape. On the other hand, destination management entails supervising the execution of these plans and ensuring they mesh with the city’s overall goals (Leigh, Lamont, & Cairncross, 2021). As part of this process, it is vital to work with various stakeholders, track progress, and alter plans as needed (Brenholdt and Meged, 2023) to ensure success.

The third and arguably most important is sustainable development. Environmental sustainability is achieved when planning and management methods are implemented to protect natural resources, advance social justice, and stimulate economic growth (Ranjbari et al., 2021; Labadi et al., 2021). The ‘Wonderful Copenhagen Strategy 2030’ becomes crucial (Sotiriadis, 2022). This critical policy document describes the city’s plans to develop into a long-term tourist attraction. It provides a thorough framework to direct the city’s sustainable destination management initiatives, and it was established through a collaborative process involving numerous stakeholders (Baerenholdt and Meged, 2023). The strategy considers sustainability’s social, economic, and environmental aspects and establishes lofty goals for the city’s performance.

This paper aims to analyze how sustainability principles are being taken into account in the city of Copenhagen’s tourism planning and management procedures. Destination Management Organizations in the city will benefit from their analysis of current practices, findings, and recommendations.

Sustainable Destination Management in Copenhagen. Source ‘Wonderful Copenhagen Strategy 2030’ (Dyrbøl, 2020).

Comprehensive Knowledge of Sustainable Destination Management

Attractions, lodging, transportation, and other visitor services are all part of a destination’s infrastructure, and all must be managed and coordinated for optimal guest satisfaction (Neupane, 2019). It is essential to establish the destination’s identity, improve guests’ stays, and guarantee the location’s continued viability and competitiveness (Pike, 2008).

In essence, destinations are geographic locations that provide enticing qualities, services, and tourist attractions (Komilova et al., 2021). They might be anything from an entire nation to a city to a single landmark. They are notoriously difficult to manage because of the many moving parts and intricate relationships between tourists, locals, companies, and the cultural and natural landscape (Mason, 2015).

Strategic decision-making processes aimed at creating and managing these attractions for long-term viability are at the heart of what the industry and academic literature call “destination planning” (Hall, 2011; Ivars-Baidal et al., 2021). Included are advertising the location, establishing tourism infrastructure, controlling visitor flows, and protecting the area’s natural and cultural treasures for future generations.

Destination planning takes on new meaning in the context of sustainable destination management (Grilli et al., 2021). It should consider the environmental impact and social fairness of tourist growth as well as the bottom line (Purwanda and Achmad, 2022). In order to ensure that tourism contributes positively to the local community and environment while delivering high-quality experiences for visitors, an all-encompassing and integrated approach is necessary (Coban & Yildiz, 2019).

Harbor Bath – Islands Brygge. Source ‘Wonderful Copenhagen Strategy 2030’ (HAMILTON, 2021).

Assessing Planning and Management in Copenhagen’s Sustainable Development

Wonderful Copenhagen Strategy 2030 is a long-term plan for tourism in Copenhagen that reflects the city’s dedication to sustainable development (Kropinova, 2020). More than a decade of work went into developing this all-encompassing policy, which has guided the city’s sustainable tourism practices (Morrison, 2013).

Sustainable Events:

Sustainable event management is the primary focus of Copenhagen’s planning strategy, illustrating the city’s awareness of the need to mitigate the adverse effects that large-scale events have on the environment. The city has aggressively pushed event producers to embrace sustainable methods. It has produced events like the Copenhagen Climate Festival and the Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival to highlight these issues, as reported by Legrand, Chen, and Laeis (2022). According to Jones (2014), these actions support the goal of sustainable event management, which entails lessening events’ toll on the natural world while maximizing the social and cultural advantages they provide to society.

The city’s management approaches in this field have also been very progressive. For instance, aiming to make all significant events carbon neutral by 2025 is a bold, preventative step toward mitigating events’ adverse effects on the environment (Hamada, 2019). Another example of efficient management in accordance with the principles of sustainable event management (Laing & Frost, 2010) is the city’s goal of ensuring that at least 50% of all events comply with established sustainability criteria by 2030.

Middelgrunden Wind Farm. Source ‘Wonderful Copenhagen Strategy 2030’ (Nsenergybusiness, 2021).

Sustainable Accommodation:

The importance of accommodations to the long-term viability of a tourist destination is acknowledged in Copenhagen’s tourism master plan (Vardopoulos et al., 2023). The Green Key eco-label and other sustainability certifications are examples of the city’s well-thought-out initiative to promote eco-friendly lodgings (Garay & Canoves, 2011).

The city’s management strategy to have 75% of hotel rooms certified as sustainable by 2030 is further evidence of its dedication to ensuring the efficient execution of these plans. Sigala (2014) argues that stakeholder participation is essential to environmentally responsible hotel management, and this initiative, together with the city’s involvement with local stakeholders, supports this view.

Sustainable Transport:

Strategic planning in Copenhagen is congruent with sustainable tourism concepts, and the city’s focus on sustainable transportation aligns with its image as a bicycle mecca (Grindsted et al., 2022). Hall’s (2017) argument that sustainable transportation planning should cut emissions and minimize environmental consequences is consistent with the city’s efforts to build and promote sustainable transportation options like bicycle infrastructure and electric public transport.

Sustainable transport management, which the city is implementing by promoting eco-friendly modes of transportation, has been shown to positively affect both the environment and the quality of tourist trips (Dickinson & Lumsdon, 2010).

Wonderful Copenhagen Strategy 2030, the city’s long-term tourism master plan, demonstrates a holistic and strategic approach to sustainable destination design and management (Kropinova, 2020). The city’s sustainable events, lodging, and transportation projects demonstrate its dedication to integrating sustainability into all facets of its tourism sector.

Cargo Bike in Copenhagen (Istockphoto., 2015).

Critical Evaluation of Best Practices and Areas for Improvement

As a city that has made significant gains in sustainable destination management, Copenhagen is an example for others (Dou, 2021). However, to further strengthen the city’s sustainability efforts, it is crucial to identify best practices and areas for improvement. In this part, we will examine how far Copenhagen has come and how we may build on its triumphs.

Best Practices.

1. Strong political commitment to sustainability: Local authorities in Copenhagen have shown political commitment and leadership in sustainable destination management, contributing to the city’s prosperity (Freund and Hernandez-Maskivker, 2021). Because of the city’s commitment to sustainability, conditions are favourable for introducing and expanding green programs.
2. A holistic approach to destination management: Sustainable destination management is prioritized in the Wonderful Copenhagen Strategy 2030, which considers the city’s social, economic, and environmental aspects equally (Yan, Sotiriadis, & Shen, 2021). The city’s tourist planning and management strategies will benefit from this comprehensive approach because all aspects of sustainability will be considered.
3. Emphasis on partnership and collaboration among stakeholders: Sustainable destination management in Copenhagen is characterized by extensive partnerships between government agencies, private companies, nonprofits, and tourism groups (Petridou et al., 2019, p.227). By working together, we can guarantee that everyone affected by tourism decisions will reap the benefits of ecotourism.

Areas for Improvement

1. Expansion of sustainable practices to all tourism sectors: Sustainability efforts in Copenhagen’s events, accommodation, and transportation sectors are to be applauded, but according to experts like Gössling et al. (2016), for a destination to be sustainable, it must apply sustainability across the board. Industries like hotels, restaurants, and attractions contribute significantly to a vacation spot’s carbon footprint. Examples include the waste and energy consumption at restaurants and the waste and emissions at attractions and tour companies (Buckley et al., 2019). Copenhagen might significantly reduce the environmental effect of its tourism business by adopting sustainability measures in several areas. For example, this could mean pressuring tour companies to go carbon neutral or pushing restaurants to use only locally grown organic food. Furthering Copenhagen’s position as a global leader in sustainable tourism, this increased effort would align with the holistic approach to sustainable destination management espoused by scholars like Bieger et al. (2016).
2. Increased focus on social sustainability and community engagement: Much evidence in the academic literature shows how vital community participation and inclusion are to achieving social sustainability in the tourism business. According to Tosun (2006), including locals in tourist planning and decision-making can improve community well-being and ensure that tourism’s positive effects are widely shared. Scheyvens (1999) makes a similar case, arguing that community involvement in tourism can strengthen local communities and contribute to their economic and social growth. Despite these merits, the Wonderful Copenhagen Strategy 2030 should improve by increasing community involvement and diversity. Although the strategy recognizes the importance of social sustainability and sets goals for improving the quality of life for residents (Wonderful Copenhagen, 2020), it could further strengthen its commitment to these goals by ensuring that local communities are not merely passive beneficiaries of tourism but active participants in shaping the city’s tourism industry. Koens et al. (2018), who stress the importance of putting the local population first when planning ecotourism, would agree. In order to further strengthen its social sustainability and establish a more inclusive and equitable tourism business, Copenhagen might benefit from increased community participation and inclusion.
3. More rigorous monitoring and evaluation of sustainability indicators: Wonderful Copenhagen Strategy 2030, Copenhagen’s long-term tourist master plan, may use a more robust monitoring and evaluation mechanism to assure the success of its sustainable destination management initiatives. The systematic collection and analysis of data linked to sustainability indicators are critical for monitoring progress, identifying trends, and guiding decision-making, as noted by Buckley, Zhong, Ma, and Chen (2017). The city’s performance in several sustainability areas can be illuminated by the regular update and assessment of these indicators, which can help identify where improvements may be necessary. Moreover, Koens, Postma, and Papp (2018) proposed that completing complete impact assessments can offer a more nuanced knowledge of the social, environmental, and economic effects of tourism operations. Last but not least, listening to what locals, tourists, business owners, and environmentalists say is essential to create a sustainable destination that benefits everyone (Bramwell & Lane, 2011). Thus, by adopting these policies, Copenhagen can ensure that its lofty sustainability goals are realized and that its sustainable destination management practices may be improved.

To maintain its status as a world leader in sustainable destination management and encourage other cities to follow its lead, Copenhagen must build upon its successes and overcome its shortcomings.

Recommendations for DMO or Visitor Attraction Operator

Following an analysis of current sustainable destination management methods in Copenhagen, the following suggestions are made to the city’s Destination Management Organization (DMO) or visitor attraction operators:

1. Enhance social sustainability: It is crucial to emphasise social sustainability to create a more welcoming tourism business (Gillovic and McIntosh, 2020, p.9722). Several methods exist for accomplishing this goal:
   • Tourist destinations in Copenhagen should emphasise presenting Copenhagen’s distinctive cultural and historical features so that visitors can better understand the city and its inhabitants.
   • By involving local communities in tourism planning, we can better meet their needs and address their concerns, resulting in more equitable and sustainable outcomes for everyone.
   • By working with and promoting local businesses, tourist destinations can boost the local economy, generate new jobs, and ensure that all locals share the advantages of tourism fairly.
2. Strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems: Better monitoring and evaluation procedures should be set up by DMO operators to guarantee the ongoing development of sustainable practices (Font et al., 2021). This may entail:
   • Sustainability indicators should be reviewed and updated frequently so businesses can measure their progress toward sustainability goals and pinpoint where they can improve.
   • Periodic studies of tourism operations’ environmental, social, and economic implications can help operators better understand their effects and establish tailored strategies to solve any problems that may arise.
   • To better meet the needs and expectations of all parties involved, sustainability practices should be refined with the input of a wide range of stakeholders, including local communities, tourists, and business partners.
3. Expand sustainable practices across all tourism sectors: Copenhagen’s destination marketing organization (DMO) and operators of tourist attractions should work together to promote sustainable tourism practices across the tourism industry (Ioannides, 2019). This may involve:
   • Partnering with the restaurant and tourism industries to implement sustainable practices, such as promoting waste reduction, energy efficiency, and the use of local and organic ingredients in food service.
   • Tourists can assist in lessening tourism’s impact on the environment and local communities by doing a few things, including • Promoting responsible tourism behaviour among visitors, educating tourists on the importance of sustainable travel practices, and encouraging tourists to make responsible choices throughout their stay.
   • By creating cutting-edge, environmentally friendly tourist activities, businesses can meet the rising demand for green vacations and help the city achieve its sustainability goals.

Copenhagen’s destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and operators of tourist attractions should safeguard the city’s cultural legacy and natural environment for the future of the tourism industry by implementing these suggestions.

Guterres highlights the enormous benefits of greener cities (United Nations, n.d.)

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