Every year Visit Greenland get inquiries regarding the cruise ships, as operators are unsure of the port call schedule, how to handle foreign currencies or whether the resources are sufficient to handle the port calls.
Likewise inquiries are made by frustrated international operators/cruise lines because the local operators in Greenland do not respond to emails or do not respond quickly enough.
Flexibility is important when one works with tourism as different conditions might apply.
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In the end the tourism industry is about making money thus operators must make it easy for the tourists to spend their money.
In the end the tourism industry is about making money thus operators must make it easy for the tourists to spend their money.
Outside operators bring tourists to a destination in order to make money and the operators welcoming the tourists are doing so for the very same reason – to make money. Therefore, the tourists must be allowed to use the currency they have on them when there is no ATM in sight.
When operators accept foreign currency in cash they must remember that there is a fee to exchange foreign currency in the banks. This must be reflected in the set price for the product one sells.
There are many things to consider before, during and after the season. For this purpose Visit Greenland has a tool to make the work easier for the destinations. It does, however, require the destinations to be truly interested in cruises. Therefore destinations, stakeholder organizations, entrepreneurs etc. are encouraged to be carefully considered to see if this is what they really want.
Visit Greenland may be asked to hold a Port Readiness course in a city or village in case more operators at the destination are interested in it.
The Port Readiness Program has been developed to inform the cruise destinations about the possibilities for local earnings, greater employment and planning excursions in the development of the industry. The main purpose of the Port Readiness Program is to provide tools for all levels of planning, thus helping communities to become more attuned to and proactive in promoting targeted local development in order to better serve the cruise industry.
The main purpose of the Port Readiness Program is to provide tools for all levels of planning, thus helping communities to become more attuned to and proactive in promoting targeted local development in order to better serve the cruise industry.
Continued growth within the cruise industry in Greenland is dependent on the ability of the accessible destinations to provide quality products, experiences and infrastructure for the travellers thus meeting market demands.
The sustainability of the industry in Greenland is conditional on that the destinations are able to meet the needs and expectations of the cruise lines and their passengers as well as being able to provide services and infrastructure of a sufficient quality. The sustainability is also dependent on the protecting and nurturing of the unique natural and cultural heritage of the cruise destinations.
An important element in the Port Call Readiness Project is the development of the Port Call Readiness Manual. This manual is intended to help stakeholders in the local communities to better understand the cruise industry and how they can actively participate in this sector that is continuing to grow. Specifically this manual will provide:
The manual will serve as practical tool for all those interested in cruise tourism at a given destination. It will help identify priorities for improving physical infrastructure, greater employment, excursion planning and potential partnerships with the cruise industry.
The manual describes practical tools and activities, studies, as well as examples of best practice, and provides the reader with checklists for the arrival of the cruise ship. Last but not least, it will give the user tools to increase the local awareness on cruise tourism just as it will highlight the possibilities for the planning and development thereof.
All stakeholders in the cruise business can make use of this manual with regards to planning and delivering products and providing services to the cruise business. It is intended to be used by organizations, municipalities and companies in the private sector who either arrange cruise ship cruises or provide cruise ship service products or services.
These stakeholders include:
For further information please contact cruise@visitgreenland.com
To ensure the best possible preparation for cruise port calls, the destinations that do not have outside operators are encouraged to become robust in the sense that they invite the relevant people to a meeting and sort out who will do what and which products to prioritize.
Here are some tips in order to become more robust:
In order to be as prepared as possible keep an eye on when cruise ships come to your port via this link: Cruise call site. Information on where the given ship has been on its journey so far and how many passengers it carries can also be found there.
One must, however, be prepared for the fact that a ship might change its plans due to the weather or ice conditions. In other words flexibility is the key as one knows it from the flight connections.
Flexibility is important when one works with tourism as different conditions might apply.
The customers can have very different wants and needs, the weather can change quickly just as people that work together can be unable to participate in a given task. This is why it is very important to have as strong an organization as possible.
