Tourism in Greenland: a fragile balance, an update after the elections
In an article for Polar Journal AG, Marie-Noëlle Rimaud advocates “finding a way out from the top, through intelligence”. The lecturer and researcher in tourism economics and management calls for the development of a win-win strategy between foreign investors in the tourism sector and the island’s inhabitants, who see the importance of this sector for the future of their economy.
Greenland is presented both as a trendy destination and as a symbol of global warming, a veritable watershed that will force newly elected officials to make choices. What will be the basis for tourism development in the years to come? A vital trade-off between preserving the environment, respecting the communities’ identity and the prospect of increased tourism revenues, which will help to secure a solid economy as a precursor to eventual independence.
Donald Trump’s statements, coupled with questions about the timetable for independence: long-term or a rapid start to the process favored by the second-placed nationalist Naleraq party in the recent parliamentary elections, have put the subject back in the spotlight.
In 2014, a Senate information report, criticized Greenland for high prices, a lack of infrastructure and diversified, competent elites to make courageous decisions, arbitrate between different scenarios: protecting or developing the territory with the indispensable impacts. In particular, he noted: “Heavy investment is essential for the development and diversification of the economy, but it is hampered by the country’s current economic and social difficulties (and the lack of financial resources that goes with them), by the technical difficulties associated with the Arctic and sub-Arctic climates, which are also undergoing radical change, and by the conflicting interests that can drive one sector or another.”
The expansion of Nuuk’s now international airport (GOH) in October 2024, and those to come at Ilulissat and Qaqortoq, show that choices have been made and, I would add, taken on board. For some time now, with the help of Visit Greenland, the national tourist board, the tourism industry has been structuring itself and thinking about the distinctive values to be promoted, as well as the investments to be made. It has not escaped their attention that, with greater accessibility and increased tourism, it is essential to consider the impact on the natural environment, as well as on small communities. They are equally aware of the difficulty of striking a balance between the number and quality of visitors.
The Greenland Parliament’s recent Act on Tourist Activities – dated November 25, 2024 – confirms the territory’s desire to make tourism a growth driver and offer development opportunities to entrepreneurs in the sector. The question that remains partly unresolved is the balance between local operators and outside investors, who until now have tended to occupy all the ground. The new text seems to opt for a more restrictive investment and ownership policy: head offices in Greenland and limitation of commercial activities to specific areas, during specific periods; but it leaves two years for professionals, including international ones, to adapt (entry into force only on January 1, 2027).
Still the question of investment, in a country of 57,000 souls, where and how to find the resources? Perhaps a new strategy for cooperation: the win-win approach proposed by Minnie Grey, honorary doctorate from the Université de Montréal, based on respect for the various players and a balanced return on investment. In this context, education and training have a strategic role to play. This may require substantial investment on the part of future partners (and why not the European Union?). A way out from the top, through intelligence, unlike what is currently happening in the United States with intellectual elites who are deprived of resources. It’s because he was educated and respected that Mathias Storch, the Greenlandic pastor-writer, expressed his fellow citizens’ expectations so well. His progressive novel claims knowledge, education and recognition for Greenlanders. According to university professor Karen Langgård, who wrote the introduction, the author wrote this novel with a political objective, particularly with regard to the Danes who were colonizing the country: “His idea of the role of the Danes was that Greenlanders should collaborate with the more progressive Danes who were capable of respecting them”(A Greenlander’s Dream, Mathias Storch).
Some outside observers don’t hesitate to place the future of glaciers and Arctic ecosystems on this country’s ability to manage tourism responsibly. They forget that tourism is first and foremost a matter for visitors, and that visitors also have a responsibility to think about the place they are visiting (Rémy Knafou).
I’d like to draw inspiration from Minnie Grey’s speech to conclude: “If your travels take you to our communities, take the time to discover, respect the land, observe and contribute to the survival of our culture, our values.”
Marie-Noëlle Rimaud, teacher-researcher at EXCELIA, member of CNFRAA (Comité National Français de Recherches Arctiques et Antarctiques) and the Polar Witnesses endowment fund.
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