The Davis Strait - DCE - Nationalt Center for Miljø og Energi

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Bottlenose whales are not eaten in Greenland because their blubber causes
diarrhea in humans as well as dogs. Nevertheless, a few catches have been
reported. It is possible that these reports are mostly mistakes, but until they
have been validated we can mention that catches reported from 2006, 2007
and 2008 were two, nine and 21 bottlenose whales, respectively. With the
exemption of three, all reports are from the assessment area.
5.3 Tourism
Michael Dünweber & David Boertmann (AU)
The tourist industry is one of three major sectors within the Greenland economy,
and the industry is increasing greatly in importance in the assessment
area, both nationally and locally. The most important asset for the tourist industry
is the unspoilt, authentic and pristine nature. There are no statistics
on the number of tourists and their regional distribution in Greenland available,
but hotels report the number of guests they have accommodated and
how many ‘bed nights’ they have sold. Overall figures for Greenland as a
whole in 2008 were approximately 82,000 guests and approximately 250,000
‘bed nights’ (Statistics of Greenland 2010). In the region of mid-Greenland
which includes the capital Nuuk, approximately 117,000 bed nights. By far
the major part of bed nights were in the assessment area and only 5-10% in
Northwest and East Greenland (= former municipalities of Qaanaaq, Upernavik,
Uummannaq, Scoresbysund and Tasiilaq).
In addition, cruise ships bring an increasing number of tourists to Greenland.
Cruise ships increased from 37 in 2007 to 42 in 2008, where the ship
deployment also increased from 148 to 165 in the same period (Statistics of
Greenland 2010). According to the Danish Naval Authorities in Greenland,
the number of visitors from cruise ships increased from 23,000 in 2006 to
55,000 in 2007 (Fig. 5.3.1). The National Strategy of Tourism 2008-2010 plans
a 10% increase per year in the number of cruise tourists (Erhvervsdirektoratet
2007). The cruise ships focus on the coastal zone and they often
visit very remote areas that are otherwise almost inaccessible, and seabirds
and marine mammals are among the highlights on these trips.
A number of tourists also go to Greenland for outdoor leisure activities
(mountaineering, kayaking, etc.) or scientific expeditions (natural history)
(Fig. 5.3.2).
5.3.1 Tourist activities
Toursim activities are centred in the two main towns of the assessment area,
Nuuk and Sisimiut, where there is accommodation and tourist operators are
based. The season starts in early spring when there are opportunities for dog
sledding (Sisimiut) on land, but the main season is summer (July-August)
when it is possible to sail from the towns to attractions such as archeological
sites, bird cliffs, whale habitats, glaciers, small settlements, hiking areas and
areas with scenic views. In Nuuk the following activities take place
(www.greenland.com):
• Whale watch cruises – summer and autumn
• Fishing and hunting, including boat trips with local hunters – mainly in
the summer season