Greenland's new airport could transform tourism landscape
Greenland is actively working to attract tourists from various parts of the world. An international airport has recently opened in the capital, providing direct flights from Europe and North America.
The investment in Nuuk is aimed at developing mass tourism in the area. However, this raises significant concerns about the impact on the unique natural environment of the world's largest island.
Is Greenland the new hit for tourists?
A new runway, measuring about 2.25 kilometres, at the airport in Greenland's capital welcomed the first Air Greenland plane from Copenhagen. Officials, including the Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, were on board. The terminal, whose construction cost as much as $800 million, can handle 800 passengers per hour.
Later this year, flights from two other Danish cities, as well as from Canada and the USA, are planned to be launched. Jens Lauridsen, CEO of Greenland Airports, expressed hope that the airport will increase the number of tourists and stimulate other sectors of the economy, positioning Greenland as an attractive travel destination.
Greenland attracts tourists primarily with its unspoiled and unique natural environment on a global scale. In 2023, the island was visited by over 130,000 people, marking a 46% increase compared to 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ambitious plans
Additional airports in the cities of Ilulissat and Qaqortoq will be constructed by 2026. The Greenland government aims for tourism to account for 40% of export value by 2035, which currently relies mainly on fishing. To achieve this goal, the number of tourists would need to double.
Regulations have been introduced to prevent earnings from being taken abroad by international networks, requiring that 65% of the shareholdings in companies belong to local entrepreneurs.
However, experts have concerns about whether the development of mass tourism could harm Greenland's nature, similar to what occurred in Iceland. The increase in tourists led to infrastructure expansion at the expense of the environment. The media emphasize that Greenland, as an autonomous territory dependent on Denmark, is becoming more accessible due to climate change and glacier melting.
