Full Video: Visit Greenland CEO at Skift Forum Europe 2022
Photo Caption: Visit Greenland CEO Hjörtur Smárason spoke with Skift Founder and CEO Rafat Ali at Skift Forum Europe 2022 on March 24, 2022, in London. Source: Skift.
Skift Take
To describe Hjörtur Smárason's job as challenging would be a huge understatement. In this video you'll hear how the CEO is tackling very visible global warming with a critical need to bring in more tourists — and why influencers and journalists are top of his list.
Skift Forum Europe
Skift Forum Europe was held in London, England on March 24, 2022. Find out about future Skift events through the link below.Editor's Note: Hjörtur Smárason announced on LinkedIn four days ago that Visit Greenland terminated his contract.
How many people would be willing to take three flights and a boat ride to visit a restaurant? We're about to find out, as Greenland embarks on a new chapter in tourism development.
However, Visit Greenland's CEO Hjörtur Smárason has warned the country has a difficult balancing act ahead, marrying sustainability with economic development, which is needed to ensure younger residents have opportunities ahead.
As well as building two new airports, and continuing to welcome smaller cruise ships, Greenland is also considering a new hotel. "We don't want a Las Vegas style hotel with loads of rooms and affordable accommodation," Smárason told Skift Founder and CEO Rafat Ali at Skift Forum Europe. "What we're looking at is we would love to see an international chain, but then it should be someone who's building the flagship hotel when it comes to sustainability."
Watch the video, or read the full transcript of it, below to hear the CEO talk passionately about preserving Greenland's future in the face of a changing world.
https://youtu.be/wxFBRhJw1xQRafat Ali: So we have a surprise speaker, the speaker from Wizz Air, she could not come and speak. I don't know if I should say this, I don't know if she has COVID or not, but she has something so she's not able to come. So what we decided, we're going to pull the person from the audience who has the hardest pronunciation of all to say "Come on stage because we're going to butcher your name and you're going to hate us by the end of this." So pronounce your name again for all of us.
Hjörtur Smárason: Hjörtur.
Ali: Hjörtur, OK.
Smárason: Yes.
Ali: So Icelandic name, we just had on stage 20 minutes ago, two countries, 90 million tourists and 94 million tourists. And you are bigger than both of them put together. Correct?
Smárason: We are bigger than both of them put together plus the UK plus Germany.
Ali: In terms of size.
Smárason: Yes.
Ali: Not in terms of number tourists.
Smárason: Not quite.
Ali: So tell me, 100,000 tourists?
Smárason: Yes. 107 in a good year.
Ali: 107, good year. So the reason I wanted Greenland on stage to talk to you is you are, when people talk about climate change, you are living it. You'
