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Greenland, the largest island on
earth, lies between the Arctic and
the Atlantic Ocean.
Temperatures here have risen
significantly in recent years,
with extreme cold becoming more rare.
While the higher temperatures have
serious consequences for Greenland's
environment — about 80% of which
is covered by ice — there are now
more opportunities for
the tourism industry.
Waterways have less ice, while more
airlines now fly to the country.
How can Greenland manage the rise in visitors
while preserving its natural resources?
Let's take a closer look.
Mie Winding is a climate
researcher in the capital Nuuk.
She's worried about the
effects of climate change.
The sea ice is getting thinner,
but also the multi-layer sea ice
is disappearing much faster.
We can also see extreme events,
so we can see sea ice break up in months
where we normally don't
see sea ice breaking up.
And we can see that the
oceans are getting warmer
and the glaciers are melting.
So climate change is
impacting many different levels.
One of the most striking example
is the Ilulissat Icefjord,
which is losing mass
due to rising temperatures.
It's Greenland's most iconic natural wonder
and a must-see for anyone visiting the country.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage
Site in 2004, the fjord is now at the
forefront of environmental change.
We join a local captain who has spent
his life navigating these waters
on boat tours through the icebergs.
He has seen firsthand the dramatic
and rapid effects of climate change.
I've been sailing since I was
a small kid with my father.
When I was a little kid,
those huge icebergs were bigger.
He's seen a sharp rise in tourists,
especially winter cruise ships.
Now there is more
tourism than five years ago.
Ilulissat Icefjord Centre is
located at the edge of the fjord.
There, visitors can learn about the
culture of the region and the impacts
of climate change.
We sat down with director
Karl Sandgreen to learn more.
The Greenland nature is very
delicate to climate change.
If you want to see the climate
change, you have to go to Greenland.
Because you can feel
the change even on the ground.
We have some huge cracks in the coast
because the permafrost is melting very fast
and the houses are sinking as well.
We really have to think about
if we want to have too many tourists
are coming from the rest of the world.
We don't want to be overcrowded
because emission of carbon is very high
from the planes and the ships, as well.
We want to have the tourists,
but we need a balance for it.
Nuuk, the capital of Greenland,
is home to fewer than 20,000 people.
But already the tourism boom
has brought about many changes.
This summer, tour operators expect
more than 70 cruise ships to dock,
some carrying up to 5,000 passengers,
who will flood the city's streets.
New tour companies have started
up in recent years to meet the need,
including Meaningful Travels.
Tour guide Robert Cullen believes
rising temperatures are a major fact
behind Greenland's increase in tourism.
Maybe in the past year or two that
I've been working in the tourism sector,
there has been an increase
in the demand for people to come and see Greenland
in all cities, not just Nuuk.
A lot more curiosity around Greenland
And they want to find out
exactly what Greenland is like.
I suppose it brings both
challenges and opportunities.
I suppose one of the
challenges might be for the locals.
With the increased volume of people,
it'll be a different scene for them
and a culture shock in a sense,
because they're used to things a certain way.
The challenge is getting used to it, I suppose,
because it seems like this is not
just something that's happening now.
It's here to stay.
So I think people are shocked here
at how fast things are happening.
And one of the opportunities is supposed
to be an increased work output for people,
for locals, local businesses
and tour operators and tour providers.
They can all collaborate and work together.
It's positive overall.
It will take some time in
getting used to the changes.
The country's national tourism board,
Visit Greenland, is tasked with
making Greenland into a
sustainable travel destination.
Anette Grønkjær, chair of the board
of Visit Greenland and manager of
Hotel Sisimiut, supports a
recent law aimed at sustainably
managing tourism growth.
It requires that at least two thirds
of a tourism company's ownership
must be made-up of Greenland
residents who are tax liable.
For Grønkjær, the law is a vital step toward
protecting Greenland's environment,
businesses and communities.
Though this new law is to make sure
that tourism grows in Greenland
And not outside Greenland.
And that the benefits from tourism
are not taken out of Greenland.
But that it benefits Greenland and the country.
It also gives a sense of feeling
from people visiting Greenland
that they know, "Okay, I'm
working with a tourism provider.
I know that this is a Greenlandic business
that contributes to the community.
That when I buy tours or
experiences through this company,
I know that it benefits the schools, the hospitals,
the elderly people's homes, even the student housing."
And all of these things are a part of
contributing to the community
and the society that Greenland is.
Grønkjær also cites climate change
is key to the tourism sector's evolution.
Years ago, when climate change
was a very new topic,
it was more just the awareness of Greenland:
"Oh, this is the beating heart of climate change.
We have to go and see it."
Now it's more about: How do
we work with climate change?
I see it mostly as challenges,
because what we see that
climate change is, is that
it's not just warmer weather.
It's unstable weather.
It's more challenging to grow business
in an unpredictable environment.
And that's also with the weather.
Now we work with the climate change.
How do we work with it?
Not only as an awareness thing
that we can see happening,
but how do we prepare ourselves for this,
and how do we prevent
the culture to disappear?
How do we prevent the way of life?
And how do we adapt, in a way?
The increase in tourism hasn't taken
the tourism industry entirely by surprise.
I would say that we have been
preparing for this for a long time.
The new International Airport in
Nuuk, opened at the end of 2024,
was a game changer.
Now, more airlines service the airport —
and flights from abroad no longer
have to make a stop inland.
Jacob Nitter Sørensen, CEO of Air Greenland,
describes this as a historic turning point
for the country's tourism industry.
Tourism in Greenland is now at a new point.
We are seeing mass interest in Greenland
and the expansion
of Nuuk Airport
and the upcoming expansion
of Ilulissat Airport will make Greenland
more accessible to tourists.
It will be easier to come to Nuuk
and Ilulissat and the other destinations.
And it will be faster and that in
itself will will increase the demand.
While he acknowledges the
risks posed by climate change,
Sørensen also sees opportunities.
Climate change brings some
opportunities, but also some fears.
The fear is obviously mass tourism,
which will have both a social and
an environmental impact on our
fragile society and ecosystem.
But the opportunities in a country
like Greenland are that we can actually
deliver a high quality product
for the premium customer,
which means that we can
maybe have lower volumes
and less of an impact on the environment.
And that that is the goal for both,
the official policies and and also what
we're trying to do as an airline.
Experts say the decisions made now
by the tourism industry could define
the country's future.
Which happens here has consequences
for the whole global ecosystem.
So if all of the Greenland ice sheet
melted tomorrow — it will not —
but if it did, the water levels around
the world will rise around 7.2 meters.
The world doesn't know about national boundaries,
that's something humans have made of.
I think it is a matter of adapting to
the new circumstances and making sure
that we slow down this pace of climate change.
I think that's the most important,
that we actually act and take responsibility
with the way we are living,
and the consequence of this.
Greenlanders have always known
the beauty and power of their land.
Now they hope the world will
embrace it with respect to support
a tourism industry that
conserves the environment.
We are super aware of what we have.
I can see the treasure that Greenland is.
We need to be very careful,
take very good care of nature.
And it's better to go slowly.
And thinking about what we're doing,
because it's here for the next generations as well.
And so that's what tourism is for in Greenland.
It's for the people of Greenland.
Greenland is opening up to the world.
And as tourism grows, so does
the responsibility to protect nature
and support those who call the country home.
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