Enacting Regenerative Tourism in Urban Destination Development: A Practice-Theoretical Study of Regenerative Copenhagen
(2026) SMMP40 20261Department of Service Studies
- Abstract
- In recent years, regenerative tourism has gained increasing attention among scholars and practitioners as a transformative approach to tourism development, aiming to generate positive value for destinations, communities, and environments. Despite this growing interest, there remains limited empirical research on how regenerative tourism is practiced, particularly within urban destinations. This gap persists despite scholars’ claims that regenerative tourism may offer meaningful responses to the complex sustainability challenges faced by cities. Against this
backdrop, this thesis examines how regenerative tourism is practiced in urban destination development in Copenhagen, focusing on two destination development initiatives: Regenerative... (More) - In recent years, regenerative tourism has gained increasing attention among scholars and practitioners as a transformative approach to tourism development, aiming to generate positive value for destinations, communities, and environments. Despite this growing interest, there remains limited empirical research on how regenerative tourism is practiced, particularly within urban destinations. This gap persists despite scholars’ claims that regenerative tourism may offer meaningful responses to the complex sustainability challenges faced by cities. Against this
backdrop, this thesis examines how regenerative tourism is practiced in urban destination development in Copenhagen, focusing on two destination development initiatives: Regenerative Copenhagen and CopenPay. The study adopts a practice-theoretical perspective, shifting the analytical focus to situated doings and sayings and how these are shaped by broader contextual arrangements. Through a qualitative, interpretivist research design, the thesis identifies and analyses the practices through which regenerative tourism is enacted and situates these practices within the wider urban destination development landscape. The findings show that regenerative tourism in Copenhagen is enacted through three interrelated practice bundles: framing, organising, and performing. These practices are expressed through long-term visions and new value narratives, collaborative project structures, and business-led activities in which tourists participate in practices such as waste collection and urban farming. However, the analysis also reveals several key tensions, including the ambiguity surrounding the meaning of regenerative tourism, uneven business capacity to engage in regenerative activities, and the challenge of enacting regenerative ambitions within growth-oriented tourism systems.
By examining regenerative tourism through a practice-theoretical lens within urban destination development, this thesis contributes a nuanced understanding of both the possibilities and limitations of enacting regenerative tourism in an urban context. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9235259
- author
- Jensen, Emilie Maja LU ; Toksvig, Frida Rudbeck LU and Poulsen, Kathrine Johanne LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SMMP40 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Regenerative tourism, urban destination development, practice theory, Copenhagen, CopenPay, Regenerative Copenhagen.
- language
- English
- id
- 9235259
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-10 16:22:39
- date last changed
- 2026-06-10 16:22:39
@misc{9235259,
abstract = {{In recent years, regenerative tourism has gained increasing attention among scholars and practitioners as a transformative approach to tourism development, aiming to generate positive value for destinations, communities, and environments. Despite this growing interest, there remains limited empirical research on how regenerative tourism is practiced, particularly within urban destinations. This gap persists despite scholars’ claims that regenerative tourism may offer meaningful responses to the complex sustainability challenges faced by cities. Against this
backdrop, this thesis examines how regenerative tourism is practiced in urban destination development in Copenhagen, focusing on two destination development initiatives: Regenerative Copenhagen and CopenPay. The study adopts a practice-theoretical perspective, shifting the analytical focus to situated doings and sayings and how these are shaped by broader contextual arrangements. Through a qualitative, interpretivist research design, the thesis identifies and analyses the practices through which regenerative tourism is enacted and situates these practices within the wider urban destination development landscape. The findings show that regenerative tourism in Copenhagen is enacted through three interrelated practice bundles: framing, organising, and performing. These practices are expressed through long-term visions and new value narratives, collaborative project structures, and business-led activities in which tourists participate in practices such as waste collection and urban farming. However, the analysis also reveals several key tensions, including the ambiguity surrounding the meaning of regenerative tourism, uneven business capacity to engage in regenerative activities, and the challenge of enacting regenerative ambitions within growth-oriented tourism systems.
By examining regenerative tourism through a practice-theoretical lens within urban destination development, this thesis contributes a nuanced understanding of both the possibilities and limitations of enacting regenerative tourism in an urban context.}},
author = {{Jensen, Emilie Maja and Toksvig, Frida Rudbeck and Poulsen, Kathrine Johanne}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Enacting Regenerative Tourism in Urban Destination Development: A Practice-Theoretical Study of Regenerative Copenhagen}},
year = {{2026}},
}