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  • Cruise guests arriving by tenderboat in Narsaq in South Greenland.

The Cruise Season is approaching – Are We Ready?

The cruise season is approaching, and at Visit Greenland we hope that you are all ready to make the cruise tourists feel welcome upon arrival and happy and content when they are ready to leave.

Published on July 11, 2019 

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.

Mountain guide Marc Carreras showing hike route on Nuuk map in Greenland. By Rebecca Gustafsson

Flexibility is important when one works with tourism as different conditions might apply.

Continues further down the page...

In the end the tourism industry is about making money thus operators must make it easy for the tourists to spend their money.

Make the Money Part Easy

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.

Kattie from Hotel Narsaq telling a guest about a tupilak bone carving from Narsaq in South Greenland. Photo by Mads Pihl - Visit Greenland

Be Prepared!

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.

Nanortalik-2016-92. Photo by Mads Pihl - Visit Greenland

Port Readiness – an easy and manageable preparation for the cruise season

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.

Two hikers in East Greenland going for an icy swim in Sermilik fjord. Photo by Mads Pihl

The Goals

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:

  • Information on the cruise industry
  • Information on how to develop the cruise industry
  • A step-by-step guide for hosting cruise ships

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.

Crystal clear glacier ice fished from the sea in the Disko Bay near Ilulissat in Greenland.jpg.crdownload. Photo by Mads Pihl - Visit Greenland

Who is this Manual Intended For?

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:

  • Local cruise committees​​​
  • Municipal councils / village councils
  • Port authorities / the technical administration
  • Travel agencies / organizations
  • Retailers / hotels / restaurants
  • Tourist operators / incoming agencies
  • Church
  • And others

For further information please contact cruise@visitgreenland.com

Become Robust

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:

Use the Cruise Call Site

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.

Be Flexible

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.

Explore related articles, offers and tour providers:

  • Towns & settlements
  • Things to do & About
  • Cruises

By Mads Skifte

Head of Business at Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq. Former Deputy Director at Visit Greenland.

http://visitgreenland.com

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