A NEW airport has opened on the world’s largest island giving travellers direct access to an area dubbed the “Riviera of the North”.
The new hub is expected to boost tourism in one of the Arctic’s most remote regions.
Visitors can now travel by air to Qaqortoq in Greenland to visit an area famous for kayaking and whale-watching.
Anne Nivika Grødem, director of Visit Greenland, said: “South Greenland offers a rare combination of powerful nature and a living culture shaped over generations.
“Improved access allows us to welcome visitors with greater intention – encouraging travel with curiosity [and offering] more meaningful experiences for our guests.”
Greenland’s prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen travelled on the new airport’s first flight.
While more than 30,000 passengers disembark from cruise ships at Qaqortoq every year, less than 2,000 tourists on average stay overnight each year.
Before the opening of the airport, travellers looking to visit Qaqortoq would have to travel two days on a ferry or arrive by helicopter.
The town is 300 miles from the capital, Nuuk.
Air Greenland is to operate two daily 75-minute direct flights between Nuuk and Qaqortoq year-round.
This is expected to rise 17 weekly services in summer, while Icelandair plans to run four weekly summer flights to and from Keflavík, starting from June 2.
In recent years, Greenland has been working to boost visitor numbers.
Earlier this year US President Donald Trump’s threats to invade Greenland resulted in a 46% increase in foreign guests – most of them Americans.
