As tensions rise between Greenland and US President Donald Trump, the Arctic territory is experiencing an unexpected surge in tourism, fuelled by both the opening of a new international airport in the capital, Nuuk, and Trump’s recent controversial announcement that he plans to annex the territory.
“A man with the last name of Trump has really put Greenland on the map once again,” says Knudsen-Ostermann, operator of Greenland Cruises.
Greenland, which relies on fishing for 95% of its exports, had hoped to diversify its economy – and appears to have attracted far more attention than anticipated.
Statistics Greenland reported a 14% rise in the number of visitors in January, with tourism operators confirming an increase in bookings since the airport’s opening. Until then, there were no direct international flights to Greenland’s capital, home to fewer than 20,000 people.
While the inaugural international flight to Nuuk – carrying Denmark’s foreign minister – was greeted with cheers and French champagne, the current geopolitical turbulence began with Donald Trump Jr’s visit, followed by his father’s revived and very vocal interest in the island. That interest goes beyond the attraction of a modern airport to the country’s vast natural reserves of rare earth minerals.
Previously, international flights had to transit via Copenhagen or a former US military base. That is no longer the case: United Airlines will launch a non-stop four-hour route from New York’s Newark Liberty International Airport to Nuuk this June. Greenland also plans to open two additional international airports – one in Ilulissat, known for its UNESCO-listed ice fjords, and another in Qaqortoq – both slated for completion in 2026.
We expect a major boom this summer already.
Jen Lauridsen, CEO of Greenland’s airports
Anne Nivíka Grødem, CEO of Visit Greenland, told The Guardian that “global interest in Arctic destinations has grown, driven by a desire for adventurous experiences and awareness of climate change.”
Yet not everyone is celebrating. Many Inuit residents, who make up 89% of the population, are wary of the potential consequences – from environmental degradation to concerns about foreign companies monopolising the tourism economy.
To address this, Greenland passed the New Tourism Act, which came into effect on 1 January 2025. It requires that at least two-thirds of ownership in tourism businesses be held by Greenlandic residents who are tax-liable. Existing companies have until January 2027 to comply. This presents a challenge to local operators like Krogh, whose business was rescued during the pandemic by a foreign investor who now owns 40%. Since the law passed, he says, the company’s value has dropped sharply.
To protect fragile ecosystems, Greenland is also introducing a zoning system, dividing the country into green, yellow, and red zones to restrict access to sensitive areas impacted by climate change.
92,637 tourists visited Greenland in 2022, rising to 131,767 in 2023, with most visitors coming from Denmark, Germany, the US, and other European countries.
A Danish colony until 1953, Greenland – whose landmass is equal to that of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands and the UK combined – is now a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. The US has operated military bases there since World War II and first offered to buy the island in 1946 for $100 million.
Usha Vance, the US Second Lady, announced on Monday her plan to visit Greenland this coming Thursday, without an invitation from either the Greenlandic or Danish governments. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded, “The visit from the United States cannot be seen in isolation from the public statements that have been made.” Just two weeks ago, Trump declared he would acquire Greenland “one way or another – for international world security.”
