The silver lining to President Trump’s delusions of buying Greenland is that suddenly everyone wants to visit. After Trump’s dream of buying the world’s largest island, which is vehemently not for sale, made headlines, everyone started looking up the best way to visit the autonomous Danish territory in the Arctic before a Trump Tower was built there and ruined the place.
Two adventure travel groups, Intrepid Travel and G Adventures, reported that interest in their Greenland tour packages jumped more than 200% this week. Additionally, Skift reports that Visit Greenland, the government’s tourism arm, saw a tenfold spike in traffic to its site as people daydream of sailing through the icebergs of Scoresbysund and watching for the Northern Lights in Ittoqqortoormiit.
While Greenland may not have been prepared for its moment in the spotlight, it is making good use of it. Visit Greenland had been wanting to crack the elusive North American tourist market, according to a rep who spoke to Skift, and all the unasked-for publicity generated by Trump’s dream deferred and subsequent decision to cancel a planned trip to Denmark could be the secret. After all, Greenland is firmly in the American discourse now, and Americans may be wondering what Greenland has to offer that Trump wants so very badly.
According to Visit Greenland, visitors would be in for an icy world filled with hot springs, hiking, cross-country skiing, and other Arctic adventures, in addition to Arctic gastronomy, an icy wonderland filled with magnificent natural scenery, friendly people, and a culture that goes far back in history. That’s what Trump was interested in, right? While the president may be forcing the U.S. economy to the brink of a recession, at least he’s helping Greenland’s tourism industry boom.
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
