Greenland covers the same tourists with Finland – and Trump could help

In Greenland, tourists’ money also has political significance. If the country wants to become independent, it needs new sources of income.

– It’s from Finland! says the owner proudly.

The boat belongs to the Andersen entrepreneurial family, which believes the same as a large number of Greenlanders: soon everyone wants to come here. Or if not all of them, then enough of them – and the Greenlanders can benefit from them.

Andersen are not the only ones waiting for a tourist boom.

However, Greenland’s government has other plans. It drives the island’s independence, and tourism plays an essential role in this. Greenland lives largely on fishing and Danish subsidies, and if it wants to break away from Denmark, more income is needed from somewhere.

The summer season looks promising in the booking calendars, says Malik Andersen. The same is said about the hotels in Nuuk.

The most significant turn is not Trump’s speeches, but the new airport in Nuuk, which opened at the end of the year. Thanks to it, the capital can now be reached directly by a large plane from Copenhagen.

Previously, the journey had to be made through more remote villages. Their airports have long runways due to old US bases.

In the summer, the American airline United Airlines will start direct flights to Nuuk from Newark, a neighbor of New York and the capital Washington.

The Nordic SAS will also open a new connection from Copenhagen.

Next year, the new airport will also open in Ilulissat, which is Greenland’s most popular travel destination. In Ilulissat, you can admire the ice fjord on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

During the coming summer season, machines flying to the island will accommodate 100,000 passengers. This is almost double the amount of last year.

Greenland tourism requires money, and from the tourist’s point of view, competition is welcome. Currently, flights to Nuuu cost closer to a thousand euros, and if you want to travel within the country, hundreds will have to be used, as you will not run between cities and villages.

The day is the target of Qoornoq’s deserted village.

Nature is the biggest tourist asset in other Nordic countries as well. In recent years, there has been more and more talk about the disadvantages of tourism in favorite destinations.

Born and grown in Greenland, the gas is not worried, at least for the time being. He points out that the island’s tourism industry only takes its first steps.

– Sure, there may be problems if the growth continues, but there is still a long way to go, says Kaas.

Critics fear that tourism will destroy the lifestyle of Greenland’s nature and indigenous people. Tourism increases greenhouse gas emissions that accelerate climate change. As a result, winters warm up and melting its continent accelerates.

Tourist masses, on the other hand, are thought to turn the island into an arctic theme park. Industry operators believe that mistakes can be avoided and tourism can grow sustainably.

At the beginning of the year, a new law regulating tourism entered into force in Greenland. It aims to protect the most sensitive nature sites. There are plans to divide Greenland into three tiered regions with different restrictions.

According to a survey last year, most Greenlanders are positive about tourists.

Malik Andersen also thinks that Greenland can accommodate newcomers. This is how he answered the question of whether the peace of the island is shaken by:

Before the corona pandemia in 2019, over 260,000 overnight stays were recorded in Greenland, about half of which brought domestic tourism. Last year the figure was almost 350,000.

If Greenland wants to get close to other northern destinations, more accommodation is needed. By comparison, there were nearly ten million hotel nights in Iceland last year and 830,000 in Rovaniemi.

Standing on your own feet is important to Greenlanders, and tourism can help with that. Both Kaas and Andersen speak proudly of what their home island has to offer.

Greenland is a former colony and today still part of Denmark. Now Trump is talking about the island like it is, and its inhabitants would be traded.

Is there a risk that the profits brought by tourism will eventually be wrapped up by someone else, such as Denmark or large international players?

The law that entered into force at the beginning of the year also interferes with money flows and aims to direct the kroner left by tourists into the hands of Greenlanders.

The big tour operators and marketers are owned by the government of Greenland. New small entrepreneurs are starting all the time.

According to the law, a tourism company must apply for a business license, which can only be obtained if you live and pay your taxes on the island. Locals must also own at least two-thirds of the capital and voting power of the limited company.

Until now, the biggest tourist troops have come to Greenland with cruisers who travel from harbor to port. Cruise travelers bring little money to countries as they stay and often eat on board.

That is why air passengers are eagerly awaited.

According to him, the demand for flights will be limited by the fact that there is still limited other tourism infrastructure. Only a certain number of visitors can stay in the hotels.

– People want to come, but they can’t all because there is no capacity in Greenland.

If the US President continues to promote Greenland, the summer season may break records.

He has been witnessing it himself: when Trump talked about buying Greenland in 2019, the number of contacts increased.