The Director of Nuuk Water Taxi, Anders Lykke Laursen, who has been volunteering as part of the “Green Team” working group, which helped to secure the certification, is in no doubt that the achievement will have great significance for the whole country:
“The title of sustainable capital can help to support the fantastic development that has taken place throughout Greenland in relation to tourism and the promotion of our destination. I actually see it as a step forward for the whole of Greenland, that we are now pioneering in terms of sustainability,” he says.
At Visit Greenland, which has also been represented in the “Green Team”, it is hoped that Nuuk’s certification can inspire other towns and cities in Greenland:
“There is a strong focus on sustainable tourism worldwide – it is something around which agents and tourists actively make decisions. This is why it is important for our destination brand that we are forerunners in this respect. At Visit Greenland, we want to make sustainability more accessible for our regions and operators. We have put sustainability at the very top of our agenda in our strategy,” says Visit Greenland’s Director, Hjörtur Smárason.
The market for and interest in sustainable tourism has been growing in recent years, and Nuuk’s EarthCheck certification can, therefore, act as an important step towards securing more tourists to the country:
“On our trips, the conversation often comes round to sustainability, and it is clear that guests appreciate that they are helping to support development and the local community. So sustainability is definitely something that interests our guests,” says Thorlak Skifte Nielsen, co-founder and guide at Two Ravens.
Anders Lykke Laursen also notices the growing interest in sustainable tourism. This is why sustainability is also an integral part of Nuuk Water Taxi’s everyday operations and workflow:
“I notice a growing interest in sustainability among our customers. There are even foreign agents who will not sail with us unless we can document that we do not use plastic cutlery and plates on board, for example. So all plastic has been abolished, and instead we use biodegradable mugs, and teaspoons made from recycled wood,” says Anders.
At Sermersooq Business, which has been the project manager and coordinator of the collection of all the data upon which the certification is based, they are not only proud of having achieved this distinguished certification, but also of the journey, which has been a learning process, says Project Manager Susanne Bisgaard. She hopes other cities will follow suit:
“With this certification, we want to show that sustainability is for everyone and with everyone. We have been a solid team, which together has reached our goal of securing this certification. It has brought us together to work so concretely towards a common goal. In this way, the process has given us a lot, and we therefore strongly encourage other destinations to gather a team, look closely at their sustainability, and maybe even get EarthCheck certified,” says Susanne Bisgaard, Project Manager at Sermersooq Business.
For further information contact:
Susanne Bisgaard – for questions on EarthCheck
Project Manager – Sermersooq Business
Direct number: (+299) 366949
Email: subi@sermersooq.gl
Hjörtur Smarason – for general questions
Managing Director – Visit Greenland
Mobile numbers: +45 22 80 14 16 / +299 27 99 98
Email: hjortur@visitgreenland.com
Hlif Linnetved – questions about sustainability
Head of Sustainability – Visit Greenland
Mobile numbers: + 45 29 72 84 12 / +299 24 29 28
Email: hlif@visitgreenland.com
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