Ivik Knudssen-Ostermann is riding a wave of Trump-fueled curiosity. From the icy docks of Nuuk’s harbor, the Greenland Cruises operator marvels at a surge in boat tour bookings to see the island’s dazzling blue icebergs. “It’s all because of a man named Trump,” he says, grinning. “He’s put Greenland back on the map.” With a new international airport in the capital and the U.S. president’s relentless spotlight, the Arctic island is cashing in on a tourism spike—and bracing for more.
Trump’s fixation kicked into high gear in January when Donald Trump Jr. touched down at Nuuk’s freshly minted airport. Since then, the president has amped up his quest to claim Greenland for the U.S., drooling over its rare earth minerals—tech industry gold. For Greenland, it’s a chance to pivot from a fishing-heavy economy (95% of exports) to a future buoyed by tourists and mining. The Nuuk airport, opened in November 2024, has already slashed travel hassles, with United Airlines set to launch direct New York-to-Nuuk flights in June, ditching the old Copenhagen-Kangerlussuaq slog.
The island’s icy allure—towering glaciers, whale-rich fjords, and Inuit pride—is pulling in crowds. Stats show a 14% jump in international flight passengers in January, while hotel nights hit 355,000 last year, up from 210,000 a decade ago. Visit Greenland says 75% of tourism operators saw bookings climb in the three months post-airport launch. Jens Lauridsen, CEO of Greenland Airports, predicts a “significant” summer surge, with new hubs in Ilulissat (2026) and Qaqortoq on the horizon.
Knudssen-Ostermann’s bank is pushing him to scale up—more boats, more staff—but he’s playing it cool. “I’m waiting to see what 2025 brings,” he says, wary of betting too big on the Trump bump. Meanwhile, tourists like Lars Ipland, a Dane ticking Greenland off his list, are drawn by its mystique—and uncertainty. “With all this attention, who knows what flag flies here next?” he muses, eyeing the snowy Nuuk coast.