TOURISTS
IN GREENLAND
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NEW MARKETS – NEW CUSTOMERS
Tourism in Greenland is changing. In the course of just a few years, new air transportation
routes via Iceland have made the west coast of Greenland notably more accessible. This has
resulted in more tourists from new international markets, and it has forced us, the Greenland
tourism industry, to ask ourselves whether our marketing and products are ready for these
new visitors. Who are these new tourists? What kind of experiences do they want? Are we
able to offer the right products to them? These are the questions that we need to find the
answers to. If we want to give our customers what they want, we need to understand their
motives for traveling.
This is the reason that Visit Greenland started a baseline study in the summer of 2012 with
the purpose of describing our tourists’ behaviors and motives for traveling. 256 interviews,
each of approx. 40 minutes duration, were conducted in Ilulissat, Kangerlussuaq, Kulusuk,
Narsaq, Narsarsuaq, Nuuk, Qaqortoq, Sisimiut, and Tasiilaq. Based on likenesses and differences in the tourists’ answers, Visit Greenland divided the tourists into interest groups – or
segments.
256 interviews are not enough to draw final conclusions, but they have presented us with
clear indications on the motives and traveling behaviors of our tourists. Visit Greenland will
continue the interviews in the spring of 2013 and in the coming years.
Tourists in Greenland is an introduction to the segments, and thus, it should be read for what
it is. It is a dynamic document that will be continuously adjusted and improved with new data
collected directly from our tourists.
Enjoy!
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THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT
Tourists choose to travel to Greenland for different reasons. It is crucial to have a better insight
into which Greenland experiences different tourist segments seek in order to effectively market, sell, and adjust products.
Basically, in order for our customers to be fully satisfied, tourism products in Greenland must
accommodate their demands and meet their expectations. Satisfied customers function as an
effective and inexpensive shortcut to market Greenland to potential customers through their
extensive social networks.
Special Interest
Adventurer
The right presentation of the products to the right group of customers is equally important. It
is perfectly possible to offer a brilliant tourism product that nobody buys simply because it is
marketed to the wrong customers.
It is easier for the Greenland tourism industry to develop strong and effective sales material,
i.e. that uses the right wording, pictures, and layout, if we know the dreams and expectations
that lay behind the customers’ choice of Greenland. What motivates them to travel? What do
they want to experience? Last but not least, how do they want to experience it?
THE 11 SEGMENTS
On the opposite page you will find an overview of the tourists’ interests and behaviors as understood from the baseline study in the summer of 2012. The tourists’ answers were analyzed
for likenesses and differences in their travel-related motives and behaviors. Based on this
analysis, 11 different interest groups – segments – have been identified and are displayed in
the Segment Map.
There are two primary characteristics that describe the segments.
1. Along the horizontal axis, the Interest Focus characteristic identifies the segments’ primary interests. The various interests are Culture, Culture & Nature, Nature, or Personal
Challenge.
2. Along the vertical axis, the Engagement Level characteristic identifies the extent to which
the segments wish to immerse themselves in the destination. This is based on their
physical activity level as well as on their human interaction level. The various engagement
levels are observation, interaction, and total immersion.
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Special Inte
Adventur
GLOBETROTTER
GLOBETROTTER
“I travel to meet new experiences,
Tnew people, new countries”
– Swedish tourist on board Sarfaq Ittuk, August 2012
The Globetrotter is an explorer seeking new know­
ledge about the world. He has already visited the
most common destinations and now seeks places
visited by very few people. He wants to hear the
untold stories about the local nature and culture. He is not satisfied to observing things from
a distance. He prefers to engage in interactive
activities to get a closer feel of the destination.
He appreciates good quality guide service but is
equally satisfied by finding his own way around
the destination. He loves to explore on his own,
­provided he has the adequate tools to do so.
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Special Inte
Adventur
SIGHTSEER
SIGHTSEER
“We prefer to see the highlights of the country.
I think they are a very valuable part of a trip”
– German tourist on board Sarfaq Ittuk, August 2012
The Sightseer wants to visit the destination’s
most important natural and cultural attractions.
He seeks advice on what to see from trusted
­sources, i.e. travel books and travel agents, in
order to make the most of his travels. He almost
always makes use of good quality guide service
to learn what he needs to about the destination.
He does not interact much with the destination
and prefers the comfortable and less physically
demanding activities. This style of activity allows
him to see and enjoy the attractions.
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Special Inte
Adventur
NATURE APPRECIATOR
NATURE APPRECIATOR
“The number one reason to
travel is to see the natural sites.
The rest is part of the package.”
– Danish tourist, Ilulissat, June 2012
The Nature Appreciator travels with one primary
purpose in mind – to see the natural wonders of
the world. He specifically chooses destinations
that are known for their natural attractions. He
relies upon good quality guide service to experience the destination. He does not necessarily
need to get really close to an attraction to appreciate it. Instead, he is typically content to see it
from a boat, helicopter, or vehicle, if that offers the
best view. He typically chooses comfortable and less
physically demanding activities.
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Special Inte
Adventur
NATURE LOVER
NATURE LOVER
“There is generally an outdoors theme to
our travel adventures”
– Scottish tourist, Ilulissat, August 2012
The Nature Lover is motivated by a strong desire
to experience amazing natural scenery, no
matter if it is a world famous attraction or just
a special rock formation. He actively seeks and
always finds a way to experience a destination’s
natural beauty. He is a diverse traveler, willing
to join a guided tour or go on his own to get the
best experience. He does not shy away from physical activities and typically must engage in such a way
to get closer to nature.
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Special Inte
Adventur
WILDERNESS SEEKER
WILDERNESS SEEKER
“I am not interested in the normal tourist
program of a group of people rushing
around… photo, photo, photo. What I want is
to reach a point where I can start
and then I am alone with nature”
– German tourist, Sisimiut, August 2012
The Wilderness Seeker has a deep respect for nature and
feels a connection with it. Above all else, he desires
solitude in nature. In some ways, he romanticizes the
world, wishing to return to a time when the nature
outweighed human development. Because these
vast expanses cannot be found everywhere,
he specifically chooses destinations that are
known to be remote, untouched, and pure.
Even though he is primarily out in the nature, he
does not necessarily require extreme physical
activities. Instead, he simply seeks activities that
immerse him in the environment. He strongly
avoids itineraries and tour guides because he
wants organically evolving experiences. He makes
his own adventures.
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Special Inte
Adventur
EXTREME ADVENTURER
EXTREME ADVENTURER
“I usually use the adventurous activities
to get to places where I would not be able
to go otherwise”
– American tourist, Tasiilaq, August 2012
The Extreme Adventurer is on a continual quest for the
next experience that will make his adrenaline surge.
One part of the attraction is the great physical challenge involved. The other part is the status of being
one of the few people to accomplish a certain
feat in a certain destination. In fact, he may even
have a sponsorship from a well-known outdoor
company. He specifically chooses a destination
because it has uncharted territories, unclimbed
peaks, and unpaddled waters. He can be out
for weeks or more at a time discovering these
unknown destinations. He does not use mainstream tour guide services but sometimes he will
call upon the knowledge and expertise of a local for
insight that he could not get elsewhere.
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Special Inte
Adventur
ETHNOPHILE
ETHNOPHILE
“For me, the most important thing is
cultural exchange… to live how they live”
– Chinese tourist, Ilulissat, June 2012
The Ethnophile loves human culture. He seeks to discover
both traditional and modern societies, so he is as equally
likely to stay in small villages as he is to stay in ­larger
­developments. His top requirement is that he
­experiences an accurate representation of everyday life in a destination through immersion in the
community. He wants to experience aspects of a
culture that no mainstream tourist ever could. In
some ways, he does not even want to appear to
be a tourist. He is an independent traveler who
prefers to make his own connections with locals,
but he knows that this is easier in some communities than others. Therefore, he is willing to
purchase immersion-style tourism products, such
as homestays, in order to gain the desired contact
with locals.
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Special Inte
Adventur
AUTHENTICITY SEEKER
AUTHENTICITY SEEKER
“I want a country that is how it used to be,
not so made for tourists. If there are too many
tourists, the place is not real anymore”
– German tourist, Nuuk, July 2012
The Authenticity Seeker loves human cultures that succeed
in maintaining their original characters amongst a sea
of modernity. In many ways, he romanticizes the
world, hoping and believing he will find destinations where the people still lead a simple life. To
him, the best guide is not a formal tour guide
but rather a local that upholds traditions and
is willing to tell him stories of old. Sometimes
he visits particular destinations known for their
indigenous populations. Unfortunately, he can
be disappointed to discover that globalization
has changed the society’s way of life. He wants to
shed his tourist persona and immerse himself in
traditional culture so that he, too, can live life as it
used to be.
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Special Inte
Adventur
CULTURE LOVER
CULTURE LOVER
“I like to experience different cultures, not
just places. I do not care too much about
buildings or sights. I like to meet people. I like
it to be different from what I know”
– Danish tourist, Nuuk, August 2012
The Culture Lover has a passion for art, music,
­Thistory, and people, and he always gravitates
toward them no matter where he travels. He is
happy to just feel the pulse of the destination
and is not compelled to visit designated sights.
He does not need full immersion to feel satisfied, but he does enjoy interactive activities that
allow him to have a personal experience with the
culture. He is open to purchasing cultural-based
tours as long as they highlight the local flair in a
natural and un-staged way.
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Special Inte
Adventur
CULTURE APPRECIATOR
CULTURE APPRECIATOR
“The history of a people is very important to know”
– French tourist, Nuuk, August 2012
The Culture Appreciator delves into history in order
to create a context for the present day. He is wellread and seeks to visit the specific destinations
and landmarks about which he has learned. He
relies on good quality guide service to tell him
about the cultural sights of a destination, and he
is happy to follow an itinerary that many other
tourists have done. He does not require much
physical activity. Instead, he would much prefer
to exercise his mind! Since many of his cultural
interests involve material from centuries past, he
seeks activities such as museum tours that allow
him to observe and learn at the same time.
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Special Inte
Adventur
SPECIAL INTEREST ADVENTURER
”I travel all over the world. I have been to the Arctic for
polar bear, moose, and bear. As a hunter, the most
important thing is the trophy – the animal. Then, of course
it is nice if the area is different and special. But basically
we travel for the animals.”
– Polish trophy hunter, Kangerlussuaq, March 2013
SPECIAL INTEREST ADVENTURER
”I take pictures of Northern birds. To me they are very
special, so every year I travel to Canada, Spitsbergen,
Greenland, or wherever I may find them. … The special
bird this time is the Red Boll. To me it is a very special and
beautiful bird! In Europe it is not easy to find it.
It is sometimes spotted in England and only seen once in
Holland. But here it is very easy to find, and it is easy to
take beautiful pictures of it”
– Dutch birdwatcher, Kangerlussuaq, March 2013
The Special Interest Adventurer has one all-consuming passion that takes
up most of his spare time. He is extremely knowledgeable about
his passion, and he seeks to travel to wherever his expertise
can be put to good use. Sometimes, his passion dictates
the destination to which he travels. Other times, he
chooses the destination because it is specifically
known for products relating to his special interest.
He might also choose a particular destination
because it allows him to pursue his special
interest in a new or unique way. In Greenland,
such special interests include hunting, fishing,
bird watching, photography, and so on. The
Special Interest Adventurer has only one focus in
the destination, and he does not want to waste
any time with unnecessary activities. Therefore, he
contracts highly skilled professional guide service in
order to ensure that his experience is a success.
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