The majority of the people thought this was surprising news and have dissociated themselves from the statement. The official statement from the Government of Greenland is:
”We have a good cooperation with the USA, and we see it as an expression of greater interest in investing in our country and the possibilities we offer. Of course, Greenland is not for sale.
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Visit Greenland wants to turn the global attention towards Greenland to something positive, as our Country is a very unique adventure tourism destination with a magnificent nature scenery, friendly people and a culture that goes far back in history.
For some years now, Visit Greenland has been working on the North American market as a priority market. We have established strong business relations with the American adventure tourism industry which means that we now receive about 8,000 tourists from the USA. Approx. 4,300 arrived by plane and 3,700 by cruise ships. We hope to see more american adventure travellers in Greenland in the future.
Do you have any specific numbers on the growth of “adventure tourism” to Greenland? I understand that is a big part of your marketing strategy, so maybe you can explain that a little more.
In the period 2014-2017 we saw a yearly growth in tourism of around 10% YoY. The growth in 2018 was around 3%.
Here is an overview of all flight passengers for the period 2017-2018 with an breakdown of the different markets with adventure travellers coming to Greenland:
If you would like to dive in the statistics report, check this page.
You can read more about the profile of travellers to Greenland by looking at the segmentation reports we have developed about our visitors (on the tourismstat.gl look into the “Tourists” section).
Here is a snapshot. By clicking on the top categories you have the full details about the adventure profile of our visitors.
Of course the President’s statement has attracted lots of attention to Greenland all of a sudden. What is it that Visit Greenland would like Americans to know about visiting your destination?
We would like the American people to know us better and perhaps someday come and visit us!
We, the people, are at the core of a traveller ́s experience in Greenland. They will meet us, local people, through cultural experiences and in everyday life in towns and villages. We are their local backcountry guides and boat skippers, hunters and dog sled drivers. Everywhere they go the uniqueness of Greenland comes out through their encounters with the locals.
We call ourselves pioneers because waves of immigrants have adapted to the forces of nature and climate in the Arctic and shaped the modern Greenland. And even today we still have a habit of breaking new ground in the process of building a diverse nation on the foundations laid down by Inuit hunters, Norse settlers, Northern European traders, missionaries, explorers and many others.
Greenland is the world’s largest island and it is an exciting destination in the Arctic for all adventure minded travelers. About 80 % of the land is covered with ice but the rest is ice free. This ice free area is located along the coasts and the 56.000 inhabitants of the country live in towns and settlements.
Greenland’s capital is called Nuuk and has about 17.000 inhabitants. Greenlanders are mainly of Inuit background and they speak Greenlandic. The country is part of the danish kingdom and uses Danish krone as its currency.
We do not have yet a direct flight connection to the USA but Greenland is more accessible than most Americans think! We are only 3,5h away from Reykjavik, Iceland and 4,5 hours away from Copenhagen, Denmark (our two main hubs).
Greenland is one of the world’s great adventure destinations, and the Big Arctic Five highlights five core Arctic attractions with a unique Greenlandic touch.
Explore dog sledding, northern lights, ice / snow, whales, and meet the pioneering people of Greenland.
Three Unesco World Heritage sites;
The Ilulissat Icefiord with the largest production of Icebergs in the World
The Inuit Hunting Grounds in the Arctic Circle region
The South Greenland historical Norse ruins and landscapes and the Inuit agricultural history
And much more..
Check out website www.visitgreenland.com for more information and inspiration about tourism in Greenland.
For more information or questions please write to:
idrissia@visitgreenland.com
