This shows a tourist event in Denver, Colorado with Greenlandic participation.

With the new international airport in Nuuk and United Airlines’ direct flights between New York and Nuuk, there is a significant increase in tourism from the United States.

With the new

In recent years, Greenland has become more accessible to ordinary people in the United States. Until now, only the rich and those who really want to have come to Greenland have come. So it is important to spread awareness of Greenland, and why and how you can come to the country, says Tanny Por from Visit Greenland and adds:

With the new international airport in Nuuk and United Airlines’ direct flights between New York and Nuuk, there is a significant increase in tourism from the United States.

With the newAnnouncement

In recent years, Greenland has become more accessible to ordinary people in the United States. Until now, only the rich and those who really want to have come to Greenland have come. So it is important to spread awareness of Greenland, and why and how you can come to the country, says Tanny Por from Visit Greenland and adds:

– It is important to spread awareness about Greenland – not just where it is located, but also why you should visit the country and how to get there.

Greenland has now come onto the world map for tour operators in the US, who are interested but cautious, as Tanny Por puts it.

The growing interest in the United States was evident in Greenland’s participation in Elevate Adventure Elevate North America 2025 in Denver Colorado this May. The city is located in a beautiful natural area in the Rocky Mountains, which is also known for its excellent ski resorts.

Adventure tourism

It was a business (or B2B) tourism fair that focused on adventure tourism, which is one of the important focus areas for the tourism industry that Visit Greenland works with, and which is included in Visit Greenland’s new tourism strategy and in Naalakkersuisut’s national tourism sector plan.

Tanny Por attended the Visit Greenland fair together with her colleague Lennart Olsen. When asked about the interest in coming to Greenland in the US, she replied:

– Curiosity and a little caution, but great interest in hearing more about how they can send more tourists to Greenland. 

– One important thing about the Denver tourism fair was that it showed that the major tour operators are now seriously considering Greenland as a destination, which is a change from before.

What do you think the interest will be in the future?

How do you think interest will develop in the future?

– Greenland is now becoming more accessible to the whole world and to all groups, which means that interest will grow and new markets will be created. We have typically had older tourists coming to Greenland, but in the future it may become a younger segment, estimates Tanny Por, who is the daily head of international relations.

Nature experiences

The focus is now on getting the right tourists to Greenland, and this is widely understood, including adventure tourists.

– It’s all about mindset. Greenland offers unpredictable experiences like sudden weather changes and wild encounters with nature (a whale might say hello). That’s why adventure tourists are a good fit here – they are flexible and ready to adapt. We call it being in ajunngilaq mode, explains Tanny Por.

– What is it that adventure tourists from the United States are particularly interested in?

– What is it that adventure tourists from the USA are particularly interested in?

– They are interested in a broad whole. Some are into nature, hiking and walking, others are into mixed highlights such as in Greenland, icebergs, the ice sheet, polar bears, whales, dog sledding, the midnight sun, etc.

– Some are interested in extreme sports and challenges such as crevasses and heliskiing, while others are interested in getting out into untouched nature, but also want comfort and well-being. And then there is everything in between. One trend is wellness. Many are looking for challenges both physically and mentally, but others are looking for cleaner air and silence, she explains.

There is also great interest in special nature experiences, such as trout fishing, bird watching, sheep farmers’ lives in South Greenland, sea fishing, photo safaris and trophy hunting for seals, reindeer, musk oxen and polar bears. Both traditional hunting and with bow and arrow.

But tourists also want to experience local life in Greenland. Experience culture and art as well as typical Greenlandic daily life. They are looking for the real, traditional Greenland and want to visit Greenlandic homes, come for coffee and experience how food is cooked on a fire and on hot stones. That is why the settlements are interesting tourist destinations.

Promising future

Did any specific orders/agreements come home to the individual participants?

– It looks very promising for the future, Tanny Por assesses after the fair.

– I noticed that the largest operators in the industry are now suddenly much more open to Greenland than before. The big deals can take many years to develop, but I think the participants came back to Greenland with really good contacts that can be developed.

Tanny Por believes that if the smaller operators, like Salik Grønvold from Kangerlussuaq, come home with a good deal for the future, it will have made the whole journey worth it.

– But it takes time to build, she adds.

A previous example

As an example, she tells about a development with tourists from a conference in 2023, which shows how quickly it can happen.

– In 2023, a delegation from Greenland participated in the Adventure Travel World Summit in Japan – a tourism conference similar to the one in Denver, Colorado. The target group was not the Japanese market, but international adventure tourists.

– During the fair, we initiated a serious dialogue with one of the world’s largest tour operators, Intrepid, about launching tours to Greenland – after at least ten years of previous contact.

DELTAGERNE FRA GRØNALAND

Visit Greenland participated and led a Greenlandic delegation at this fair to generate interest and increase networking. It was a fair that deals with business to business, for example between travel agencies and tour operators and agents who want to sell experiences on.

A broad spectrum of the tourism industry was represented from Greenland.

From Visit Greenland, Tanny Por and Lennart Olsen participated.

Tourist operators participating were: Elise Bruun from Travel by Heart, Ella Grødem from Active TravelTwo Ravens, Magnus R. Elleby from Hotel Soma Hotels in Sisimiut, Nuuk, Aasiaat and Ilulissat, Jûnârak’ Mikaelsen from Mikami Guest house in Qasigiannguit and Salik Grønvold from Arctic Circle Treks – Guide for Arctic Circle Trail in Kangerlussuaq-Sismiut.

From tourist destinations participated:

Asbjørn D. Bargsteen from destination Avannaata, Navarana Bidstrup from destination Disko Bay and finally Taatsi Fleischer from Arctic Circle Business in Central Greenland.

They used the fair to make new contacts and build networks.

– This time they were ready. In 2024 we invited them on a winter inspiration trip to Greenland, and shortly afterwards they announced that they would start offering trips to Greenland from 2025, says Tanny Por.

This year, Intrepid is launching its first land-based tour to Greenland. They have small groups of up to 10 participants and four departures, which go to Nuuk and Disko Bay (including Qeqertarsuaq and Qasigiannguit). They have already scheduled departures for the coming years.

Tanny Por hopes that Intrepid will further develop its program in Greenland, and that the tourism fair in Denver will yield the same result.

Incidentally, Intrepid Visit Greenland is organizing its annual media trip to Greenland in July this year, with 10 A-list media from North America, the UK and Australia participating.

New branding of Greenland

Tanny Por states that Visit Greenland is also working on branding Greenland.

– We have new branding guidelines that provide a clear overview of our branding goals and visual direction.

– A key tenet is that nature is more than just landscape. It is a source of energy, inner peace, renewal and contemplation. It shapes our heritage and the local knowledge we practice daily. It gives us resources to adapt and a sense of fulfillment in adventure that brings us even closer to nature, explains Tanny Por.

The international manager explains that in addition to North America, Visit Greenland is working to create interest in Greenland in many other countries, but is particularly focused on the Nordic countries as well as Germany, the UK and France.

With the new international airport in Nuuk and United Airlines’ direct flights between New York and Nuuk, there is a significant increase in tourism from the United States.

With the new

In recent years, Greenland has become more accessible to ordinary people in the United States. Until now, only the rich and those who really want to have come to Greenland have come. So it is important to spread awareness of Greenland, and why and how you can come to the country, says Tanny Por from Visit Greenland and adds:

With the new international airport in Nuuk and United Airlines’ direct flights between New York and Nuuk, there is a significant increase in tourism from the United States.

With the newAnnouncement

In recent years, Greenland has become more accessible to ordinary people in the United States. Until now, only the rich and those who really want to have come to Greenland have come. So it is important to spread awareness of Greenland, and why and how you can come to the country, says Tanny Por from Visit Greenland and adds:

– It is important to spread awareness about Greenland – not just where it is located, but also why you should visit the country and how to get there.

Greenland has now come onto the world map for tour operators in the US, who are interested but cautious, as Tanny Por puts it.

The growing interest in the United States was evident in Greenland’s participation in Elevate Adventure Elevate North America 2025 in Denver Colorado this May. The city is located in a beautiful natural area in the Rocky Mountains, which is also known for its excellent ski resorts.

Adventure tourism

It was a business (or B2B) tourism fair that focused on adventure tourism, which is one of the important focus areas for the tourism industry that Visit Greenland works with, and which is included in Visit Greenland’s new tourism strategy and in Naalakkersuisut’s national tourism sector plan.

Tanny Por attended the Visit Greenland fair together with her colleague Lennart Olsen. When asked about the interest in coming to Greenland in the US, she replied:

– Curiosity and a little caution, but great interest in hearing more about how they can send more tourists to Greenland. 

– One important thing about the Denver tourism fair was that it showed that the major tour operators are now seriously considering Greenland as a destination, which is a change from before.

What do you think the interest will be in the future?

How do you think interest will develop in the future?

– Greenland is now becoming more accessible to the whole world and to all groups, which means that interest will grow and new markets will be created. We have typically had older tourists coming to Greenland, but in the future it may become a younger segment, estimates Tanny Por, who is the daily manager of international relations.

Nature experiences

The focus is now on getting the right tourists to Greenland, and this is widely understood, including adventure tourists.

– It’s all about mindset. Greenland offers unpredictable experiences like sudden weather changes and wild encounters with nature (a whale might say hello). That’s why adventure tourists are a good fit here – they are flexible and ready to adapt. We call it being in ajunngilaq mode, explains Tanny Por.

– What is it that adventure tourists from the United States are particularly interested in?

– What is it that adventure tourists from the USA are particularly interested in?

– They are interested in a broad whole. Some are into nature, hiking and walking, others are into mixed highlights such as in Greenland, icebergs, the ice sheet, polar bears, whales, dog sledding, the midnight sun, etc.

– Some are interested in extreme sports and challenges such as crevasses and heliskiing, while others are interested in getting out into untouched nature, but also want comfort and well-being. And then there is everything in between. One trend is wellness. Many are looking for challenges both physically and mentally, but others are looking for cleaner air and silence, she explains.

There is also great interest in special nature experiences, such as trout fishing, bird watching, sheep farmers’ lives in South Greenland, sea fishing, photo safaris and trophy hunting for seals, reindeer, musk oxen and polar bears. Both traditional hunting and with bow and arrow.

But tourists also want to experience local life in Greenland. Experience culture and art as well as typical Greenlandic daily life. They are looking for the real, traditional Greenland and want to visit Greenlandic homes, come for coffee and experience how food is cooked on a fire and on hot stones. That is why the settlements are interesting tourist destinations.

Promising future

Did any specific orders/agreements come home to the individual participants?

– It looks very promising for the future, Tanny Por assesses after the fair.

– I noticed that the largest operators in the industry are now suddenly much more open to Greenland than before. The big deals can take many years to develop, but I think the participants came back to Greenland with really good contacts that can be developed.

Tanny Por believes that if the smaller operators, like Salik Grønvold from Kangerlussuaq, come home with a good deal for the future, it will have made the whole journey worth it.

– But it takes time to build, she adds.

A previous example

As an example, she tells about a development with tourists from a conference in 2023, which shows how quickly it can happen.

– In 2023, a delegation from Greenland participated in the Adventure Travel World Summit in Japan – a tourism conference similar to the one in Denver, Colorado. The target group was not the Japanese market, but international adventure tourists.

– During the fair, we initiated a serious dialogue with one of the world’s largest tour operators, Intrepid, about launching tours to Greenland – after at least ten years of previous contact.

DELTAGERNE FRA GRØNALAND

Visit Greenland participated and led a Greenlandic delegation at this fair to generate interest and increase networking. It was a fair that deals with business to business, for example between travel agencies and tour operators and agents who want to sell experiences on.

A broad spectrum of the tourism industry was represented from Greenland.

From Visit Greenland, Tanny Por and Lennart Olsen participated.

Tourist operators participating were: Elise Bruun from Travel by Heart, Ella Grødem from Active TravelTwo Ravens, Magnus R. Elleby from Hotel Soma Hotels in Sisimiut, Nuuk, Aasiaat and Ilulissat, Jûnârak’ Mikaelsen from Mikami Guest house in Qasigiannguit and Salik Grønvold from Arctic Circle Treks – Guide for Arctic Circle Trail in Kangerlussuaq-Sismiut.

From tourist destinations participated:

Asbjørn D. Bargsteen from destination Avannaata, Navarana Bidstrup from destination Disko Bay and finally Taatsi Fleischer from Arctic Circle Business in Central Greenland.

They used the fair to make new contacts and build networks.

– This time they were ready. In 2024 we invited them on a winter inspiration trip to Greenland, and shortly afterwards they announced that they would start offering trips to Greenland from 2025, says Tanny Por.

This year, Intrepid is launching its first land-based tour to Greenland. They have small groups of up to 10 participants and four departures, which go to Nuuk and Disko Bay (including Qeqertarsuaq and Qasigiannguit). They have already scheduled departures for the coming years.

Tanny Por hopes that Intrepid will further develop its program in Greenland, and that the tourism fair in Denver will yield the same result.

Incidentally, Intrepid Visit Greenland is organizing its annual media trip to Greenland in July this year, with 10 A-list media from North America, the UK and Australia participating.

New branding of Greenland

Tanny Por states that Visit Greenland is also working on branding Greenland.

– We have new branding guidelines that provide a clear overview of our branding goals and visual direction.

– A key tenet is that nature is more than just landscape. It is a source of energy, inner peace, renewal and contemplation. It shapes our heritage and the local knowledge we practice daily. It gives us resources to adapt and a sense of fulfillment in adventure that brings us even closer to nature, explains Tanny Por.

The international manager explains that in addition to North America, Visit Greenland is working to create interest in Greenland in many other countries, but is particularly focused on the Nordic countries as well as Germany, the UK and France.