Increased interest in hotel construction in Qaqortoq

When the new airport in Qaqortoq opens in April, the number of tourists is expected to increase significantly.

Better passenger and freight transport will increase demand for hotels, restaurants and other tourist attractions.

When the airport finally becomes a reality after several years of discussion, it will give a significant boost to the business community in Qaqortoq, says municipal council member of the Municipality of Kujalleq, Simon Simonsen (Democrats).

The new airport will pave the way for millions of kroner in investments, says Heidi Mortensen Møller, who is self-employed in Qaqortoq.

She runs the Inuit House hotel and Café Heidi and plans to build a new 60-room hotel along the airport road.

Uncertainty about the future

Heidi Mortensen Møller has run the Siniffik Inn hostel, now called Inuit House, and the associated Café Heidi since 2000. The project proved to be a success among tourists in its first year and laid the foundation for further development.

When the political debate about an airport in Qaqortoq gained momentum, she had plans to expand.

“When the debate about the airport flared up in 2016, we had plans to expand the hotel. But after the debate, it became uncertain whether the airport would become a reality.”

“That made it very difficult to plan for the future,” she says.

However, in the following years, when the debate picked up again, she became more optimistic about the future, emphasizes Heidi Mortensen Møller.

An open door

In 2018, Inatsisartut decided that three new runways should be built in Nuuk, Ilulissat and Qaqortoq. However, in connection with the expansion of Inuit House, Heidi Mortensen Møller had all her applications for land rejected by the Municipality of Kujalleq in 2018 and 2019.

She has long considered how to move forward, but after the municipal elections last year, when a new municipal council and mayor took office in the Municipality of Kujalleq, new opportunities opened up.

– It felt like everything got easier from there. I was asked by the municipality to present a project to foreign investors who wanted to build a new hotel in the city.

– Although it was initially difficult to find the right land, I gathered a group that could help realize the hotel project.

– As a result, on February 22, the municipal council approved the desired area for the hotel with the requirement that a building permit be obtained within a year, says Heidi Mortensen Møller.

A public consultation on the future use of the area is currently underway.

A big step

The new hotel, which is planned to be built along the airport road in Qaqortoq, will have 60 rooms, a restaurant with space for around 140 guests and a conference centre.

– The airport in Qaqortoq forms the basis for a double-digit million project.

– It is a big step from a small inn to a modern hotel.

– If everything goes according to plan, I hope that construction can begin in September or October and that the hotel can open in the summer of 2028, says Heidi Mortensen Møller.

The airport in Qaqortoq opens up new opportunities for investment in the business community in South Greenland, believes the self-employed entrepreneur.

Growing private entrepreneurs

According to Simon Simonsen (Democrats), member of the Economic and Business Committee in the Municipality of Kujalleq, the airport in Qaqortoq means that the business community has already grown significantly.

– There is an increase in the number of self-employed people who primarily work in tourism, and we are of course happy about that.

– In April, work will begin on a new municipal plan with external assistance, which we expect to be approved by the municipal council in the autumn.

– In this connection, we hope that more building plots will become available along the airport road, he says.

There are currently two applications for hotel construction in Qaqortoq, but Simon Simonsen states that several other projects have not yet been submitted.