Tourism, Sustainability, and the Resilience of Greenlandic Coastal Communities

Tourism has been a growing activity in many Arctic regions in recent decades. This also applies to Greenland, where, in recent years, the tourism industry has been highlighted as one of the most significant opportunities for the country’s future socio-economic development. Tourism in Greenland, which can mainly be divided into cruise tourism and nature tourism, has been growing, but there still is a great unrealized potential that must be realized in a post-covid era. The establishment of two new transatlantic airports in Nuuk and Ilulissat is expected to mean a significant increase in the number of tourists. For South Greenland, a new airport near the region’s capital Qaqortoq will also mean a significant change in opportunities for tourism and other commercial activities. This chapter will look at the possibilities for sustainable and resilient tourism in small and medium sized Greenlandic coastal communities.