Greenland a brand new international airport is opening and flights are already scheduled for November.
As the list of places tourists want to go elsewhere for vacations grows, one of the most remote and beautiful destinations on the planet is taking steps to welcome more tourists to its shores.
Greenland, the sprawling, mysterious island in the North Atlantic Ocean, is set to open a brand new international airport just outside its capital, Nuuk and routes from Copenhagen are already planned.
There will be five flights a week in the winter, increasing to six a week in the holiday season and eight in the summer. US carrier United Airlines has also announced plans for direct flights from New York during the summer months.
Construction on the airport began in 2020 with an original opening date of 2023, but the project was delayed due to (what else) the pandemic. It will now officially begin work November 28, 2024
Two more airports in southern Greenland (in Ilulissat and Kakortok) are due to open by 2026, meaning visitors will be able to travel from either side of the island in just an hour and a half.
Why is all this happening? Airport representatives in Greenland and Visit Greenland they say the new centers, as well as a team effort to highlight Greenland’s volcanic landscape, fjords, valleys and basalt mountains, will attract more visitors.
In 2019, Greenland welcomed 100,000 visitors (46,000 of which were by cruise), and although officials want to welcome more people, a balance must be struck.
“Greenland has had so many unique experiences to offer tourists, and if we want more, then the message and knowledge must be spread even more than it is today,” Hjörtur Smárason, director of Visit Greenland, told the Independent. At the same time, we want to grow responsibly and with the right tourists, so we also need to find partners who can help with just that.”
But it’s not just for international travelers. This new airport means that traveling abroad is about to get a lot easier for Greenlanders. One of them told BBC News: “We were blocked from the whole world and now we are going to open up to the world. It is so exciting that we will have the opportunity to travel from here to another country.”
Greenland isn’t a popular tourist destination – and it’s not just about access – although we’re talking about some stunning winter scenery here and being one of the best places in the world to view the Northern Lights…
