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They opened the capital’s new airport, two more are being built, expectations are high: the Americans are coming Greenland.
On Thursday, the first-ever international flight to Nuuk, the autonomous Danish territory’s most populous settlement, landed to cheers on the ground and in the cabin of Air Greenland flight GL781, where passengers were served miniature bottles of Nicolas Feuillatte champagne.
The flight took off from Copenhagen, the Danish capital, and it was a historic enough moment for Denmark’s foreign minister to be on board. It was also a precursor to what could be a more significant development.
Starting in June, United Airlines will operate a four-hour non-stop flight from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey to Nuuk.
This will be the first direct flight to Greenland from the US and is considered the beginning of a new era. Airlines operated flights with a total of 55,000 seats to Greenland between April and August; this figure will almost double next year to around 105,000 places.
Two more airports, at Ilulissat in the west of the territory and Kakortok, further south, both famous for their picturesque fjords, are expected to be operational by the end of 2026.
However, not everyone is satisfied.
Approximately 89% of the population is Greenlandic Inuit and while surveys indicate strong support for increasing the size of the tourism sector, concerns have been raised within this community, particularly about spoiling the pristine beauty of the land and the potential for foreign companies to extract profits.
This summer, a large cruise ship trying to enter the port of Ilulissat was blocked due to allegations that it was only providing business to foreign tour operators and bringing its own guides.
With next year’s election in mind, the government responded to concerns last week by passing a controversial tourism law that will come into effect on January 1.
A public consultation will lead to a system for classifying areas of Greenland into green, yellow and red zones, limiting access to “high sensitivity” areas to protect delicate ecosystems already under pressure from the climate emergency, sites of cultural heritage and traditional hunting grounds.
There will also be new requirements for tourism business ownership. A tourism license will only be given to someone who is registered in Greenland and pays tax there. At least two-thirds of the capital and voting rights of a limited liability company must be owned by a resident.
Pipaluk Osterman, who works at the cash desk at Tupilak Travel, an independent travel agency in downtown Nuuk, was beaming at the thought of the new airport and American tourist dollars, but admitted she was worried about the influx of foreign companies. “But with this law, it’s more reassuring,” she said.
Others say the “Trumpist” and “protectionist” regulation will stifle foreign investment just when it’s needed.
John Krogh, 51, and his wife, Annika, 46, run a luxury glamping company, Nomad Greenland, which has been featured in the Financial Times and National Geographic.
Krog said he fears what Greenland Americans will do, given the sparse tourism infrastructure. His company survived the pandemic thanks to a foreign investor who holds a 40 percent stake, he said.
Since the law was passed, the value of his company has plummeted, he said, and he will have to abandon plans to create new lodges where tourists can enjoy the unspoiled wilderness.
Krog said: “We had a company worth almost €2 million before the law. Now worth the assets. Who will buy it? Four people in Greenland have the money. I have no way out anymore, I have no ambition to build this further.
“People buy plane tickets here expecting something they’re used to. The best hotel here is – what – two stars in Dubai… So they will fly home very disappointed. And we’re going to spend the next 10 or 15 years rebuilding that image that we just destroyed by opening up like this and having a lot of people flow, but no hotels, no activities.”
He added: “We also need a reality check. Greenland is special. It’s incredible. It’s beautiful. But this is not the only amazing and beautiful place on the planet.
In 2022 92,637 tourists visited Greenland, up from 131,767 last year. The majority of visitors were from Denmark, Germany, USA and other European countries.
“Global interest in Arctic destinations has grown, driven by a desire for adventure experiences and awareness of climate change,” said Anne Nivika, CEO of Visit Greenland.
The construction of Nuuk Airport is an essential part of Greenland’s response to the interest. Until Thursday, there were no direct international flights to Greenland’s capital, home to 19,783 of the territory’s 56,865 people.
Previously, the first stop would have been a former US military base at Kangerlussuaq, 200 miles (320 km) north of Nuuk, followed by an additional domestic flight on a small plane. It will now take 4 hours and 50 minutes to reach Nuuk from Copenhagen, cutting hours from the previous best option.
Kristian Keldsen, director of the Greenland Business Association, said he feared the move towards protectionism was partly inspired by Denmark’s colonial past and fears of further exploitation by foreign powers.
Greenland, whose land mass exceeds that of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom combined, is today a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, but until 1953 colony.
The US built military bases on the island at the start of World War II and then into the Cold War. In 1946 US officials even offer to buy Greenland from its colonial power, Denmark, for $100 million in gold bullion, a proposal repeated by Donald Trump in his first term in the White House.
The government has scheduled a two-year transition period for the tourism law. But Keldsen said Greenland’s ambitions for a larger tourism sector could not be achieved without international investment. “But for now, that might be where we are in the development,” he said. “We are moving forward and Greenland wants control over this evolution.”
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