Greenland is about to open up to adventure-seeking visitors. How many tourists will come is yet to be seen, but three new airports will bring profound change.
Spanning more than two million square kilometres, the world’s largest island exists on a scale so vast it’s hard to conceive. Only 11 countries are bigger – and it surpasses both Texas and Alaska in size – yet its population numbers fewer than 57,000. At its frozen heart is an ice sheet that covers 80% of its land mass. Greenland’s mountainous and ice-bound topography means there are no roads between settlements; instead, there’s a network of small airstrips and heliports.
Greenland’s capital is a tiny city with big plans. Large aircraft will soon be able to touch down there after the new Nuuk International Airport officially opens on 28 November. There’ll be direct flights from Copenhagen, and, by June, twice weekly connections from New York. It’s the first of three airport projects – costing more than $800m (£615m) – intended to fling this Arctic territory wide open to travellers. The city sits roughly four hours from the U.S. and four hours from Europe. “We’re placed right in the middle. So, there’s great opportunities to grow tourism from both sides,” said Jens Lauridsen, CEO of Greenland Airports.
The second transatlantic airport will open in Ilulissat in 2026, the country’s most popular destination, and a launchpad for exploring the towering icebergs of Disko Bay and the Unesco-recognised Icefjord. This will be followed that same year by a brand-new regional airport in Qaqortoq, the largest settlement in the south and arguably Greenland’s most picture-perfect town.
How many tourists will come is unknown. But according to Lauridsen, between April and August this year, the inbound seat capacity to Greenland was 55,000; by next summer, that will jump to 105,000 for the same period. Air Greenland will operate daily flights between Nuuk and Copenhagen in planes carrying 300-plus passengers. Then in June, SAS will also begin flying from the Danish capital, and United will launch direct flights from New York.
With roughly 20,000 residents, Greenland’s capital is certainly no metropolis. Made up of high-rise apartment blocks and colourful cottages, it’s wedged between rugged mountains and a sweeping sea fjord on the country’s south-west coast. It’s a modern town where 21st-Century life blends with Inuit roots, and is home to a fascinating and informative national museum, a thought-provoking art gallery, and a cutting-edge cultural centre with musical performances.
Several new hotel projects are reportedly in planning, but analysis by tourist board “Visit Greenland” suggests both Nuuk and Ilulissat could face a shortage of accommodation. That may well limit visitors, which is why Air Greenland’s chief executive, Jacob Nitter Sorensen, believes there won’t be an explosive growth.
“There’s a lot of positivism towards [tourism] growth and what it can do for Greenland but only if it’s done right,” emphasises Stine Selmer, an independent sustainable tourism consultant. How much locals actually want tourism depends on who you speak to, she adds. Indeed, frequent crowds of tourists in popular places such as Ilulissat and Qaqortoq have already caused some frustration among locals.
Greenland’s wow-factor comes from its untouched nature and uncrowded spaces. “There is really a maximum we can sustain without ruining our destination, and the products that we’re selling,” says Selmer. “It’s this peace and quiet, a sort-of under-the-radar destination, and I think we kind of want to keep it that way”. Most Greenlanders seem to agree that mass tourism isn’t desirable, or sustainable, and Greenland doesn’t want to be the next Iceland, a country of 384,000 people that saw 2.2 million visitors last year.
Lying 150km north of the capital, Maniitsoq is a less-visited smaller town that also hopes to benefit. Small motorboats make the four-hour voyage there by weaving through a maze of low-lying rocky islands and stopping in the tiniest of villages as locals hop on and off.
Sitting below a striking mountain range, Maniitsoq‘s colourful, weather-beaten buildings straddle a rocky outcrop along the coast. Rather fancifully nicknamed the “Venice of Greenland”, there’s a handful of bridges that crisscross the harbour, and a striking arch made from a whale’s jawbone that overlooks the sea. In summer it draws fishing enthusiasts and, in winter, ski-touring groups. It’s also a jumping off point for hikes to the astonishing Inussuit Tasersuat, a turquoise body of water lying beneath jagged grey peaks, dubbed “The Great Lake of Giants” in English; and for boat trips to the breathtaking Eternity Fjord, where blue-hued glaciers calve ice into the sea.
“There’s a lot to sell in our area. We have so many fjords, so many beautiful places,” said Ole Zeeb Skifte, the owner of Maniitsoq Adventure Tours, which runs hiking and fishing tours. The closure of the local fish factory a decade ago saw people move away, he added. But now hopes are high again. “I’m so excited about the new airport,” Skifte told me. “I just hope that more local young people will get into tourism and start a business.”
As a final comment, Greenland has the advantage of, basically, starting from scratch. Let’s hope they get the balance right that provides for tourism to boost the economy and the wishes of the local population to avoid being inundated. They have many examples around the world of how not to do this, and few that have got the balance right.
