Press release
There are many unanswered questions in relation to the Corona crisis, which make it difficult to predict how tourism can be restarted in Greenland. For how long will there be government-controlled flights and entry restrictions? At what point are enough of the population vaccinated so that we can safely receive tourists? What role will a possible vaccine passport play in Greenland? The answers to these questions are crucial for the tourism industry in deciding how to act and better securing its future.
“We are lacking many concrete answers that are required to be able to predict the course of tourism in 2021 – and no one has these answers at the moment. This is why we have done our best to create a set of scenarios that can give an indication of how the high season may play out – both the good and the bad,” says Mads-Daniel Skifte, Acting Director of Visit Greenland.
Visit Greenland hopes that tourism businesses in Greenland can use the scenarios as a tool for further planning.
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Cruise:
Greenland will not be open for cruise calls in 2021.
Land-based:
Greenland will be opened for ordinary scheduled flights to/from Denmark, when as many residents as possible are fully vaccinated in July (may be delayed by several weeks). All travelers must present a vaccine passport.
The probability of this scenario is estimated to be 80%.
Cruise:
Greenland will be opened for cruise calls when as many citizens as possible are fully vaccinated in July (can be delayed by several weeks). All passengers must present a vaccine passport.
Land-based:
Greenland will be opened for ordinary scheduled flights to/from Denmark, when as many residents as possible are fully vaccinated in July. All travelers must present a vaccine passport and a max. 72-hour old negative corona test.
The probability of this scenario is estimated to be 15%.
Cruise:
When the provisions of Executive Order 10 expire on the 18th April 2021, Greenland will be opened for cruise ships, if all passengers can present a vaccine passport.
Land-based:
On the 18th April 2021, Greenland will be opened for ordinary scheduled flights to/from Denmark, with arrivals subject to quarantine until they receive a negative test result after a retest on the 5th day after arriving in Greenland.
The probability of this scenario is estimated to be 5%.
These three scenarios represent the best, middle and worst case scenarios in relation to Covid-19 restrictions, seen in a tourism context. Each one has been allocated a percentage probability, calculated according to parameters such as vaccinations in Greenland, vaccinations globally, development of vaccine passports, capacity in the healthcare system, etc.
However, it is the Greenlandic Government’s final announcement regarding travel restrictions after the 18th April which will be decisive for how the tourism season unfolds.
Contact persons
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