- Det er dybt tragisk for Aasiaat

- It is deeply tragic for Aasiaat.

This is what director of Hotel SØMA in Aasiaat, Lisbeth Hansen, tells Sermitsiaq in a comment on the prospect of one of Aasiaat's largest workplaces, Polar Raajat's factory, closing this year.

It is of great concern to the business community in the town in Disko Bay that 116 employees stand to lose their jobs at the factory.

Hotel director Lisbeth Hansen sits on the board of directors of the Greenland Business Council.

She believes that the announced factory closure could have far-reaching consequences for both Aasiaat and the rest of the Municipality of Qeqertalik.

She predicts that a number of companies and businesses will be indirectly affected. Among them is Hotel SØMA.

- The factory closure is tragic for the city of Aasiaat. I simply think so. It is sad to see that our city is being abandoned by politicians in this way.

- There is virtually no national political attention to the Municipality of Qeqertalik at the moment.

- It is the cities with the new airports, Nuuk, Ilulissat and Qaqortoq, that have received the political attention. An industrial city like Aasiaat receives no attention, believes Lisbeth Hansen.

Naalakkersuisoq passes on the task

When Naalakkersuisoq, for example, fisheries Peter Borg is passing on the task to Polar Seafood and Royal Greenland so that they can find a solution, it is not just a problem for a town like Aasiaat. The rest of the municipality will also be affected by the factory closure, says Lisbeth Hansen.

- And when a large tax base for the municipality disappears, it also affects investments in the towns and settlements in the municipality.

- It worries me both as a hotel manager, but also as a citizen of the town, she says.

In Lisbeth Hansen's opinion, there needs to be a political solution to save the shrimp and fish factory in Aasiaat.

- But I note that the Greenlandic Minister for Fisheries, Peter Borg, has stated that the Self-Government is not ready with another solution, she says.

As Sermitsiaq has previously written, the minister is thus signaling that he does not currently have a Self-Government-financed lifeline that can reassure the citizens of Aasiaat.

- This is something that worries us in the business community. A closure of the shrimp and fish factory in Aasiaat will have severe consequences.

- As I said before, it is not only the city of Aasiaat, but the business community in the municipality that will be affected if a workplace as large as Polar Raajat with 116 employees is closed in the city.

- Added to this is the whole derivative effect of a factory closure, because where will the fishermen buy their shrimp and fish in the future? If the fishermen disappear from Aasiaat, a great many jobs will disappear. Without a factory, why would you settle down as a fisherman in Aasiaat, says Lisbeth Hansen.

She says that SØMA's hotel and café provide food and accommodation for the factory's visitors. But this also applies to the crew of the cutters and other fishing vessels that come to Aasiaat and need food and accommodation.

Hotel SØMA is not threatened by closure

Lisbeth Hansen does not immediately believe that they are threatened with closure.

- But of course, a factory closure will have a significant impact on the turnover we can have. We cannot avoid that. We also service the companies in Aasiaat that service the factory, says Lisbeth Hansen.

Hotel SØMA in Aasiaat has 55 rooms. The hotel has a room occupancy rate that is similar to hotels in the rest of Greenland. It is high in the summer and lower the rest of the year.

- We have been continuously renovating the hotel for the last seven years, and most recently we renovated our café in 2024. We are about to finish a huge renovation of our kitchen. In addition, this year we expect to renovate the last of our 55 rooms so that they correspond to hotel standards.

- We have invested a lot of money because we want growth and development in the city, so that the hotel is attractive to both current and new guests, says Lisbeth Hansen.

Director: - Aasiaat is fantastic

She and her husband moved from Svendborg to Aasiaat seven years ago.

- I love Aasiaat. This is where we have our home and life. We were so welcomed and felt embraced by the locals when we arrived here. It has been fantastic to get to know people and integrate into the local community.

- We have been incredibly privileged to be able to join some associations in the city, have gained a large network and get to know many people. Through our work, we have also had the opportunity to travel and experience Greenland as our country. We are just so happy to live here, says Lisbeth Hansen.