In the municipality of Qeqertalik about every 7th citizen lives in one of the small settlements. That is why the business council and the destination management have visited the settlements during the summer. This led to good talks as well as new ideas in the settlements of Qeqertalik.
A new shop, creative ideas for tourist activities and plans of making new hiking trails were just some of the things, that the business council has discussed with the residents of the settlements during this summer. The business council and destination management have visited the settlements one by one to meet the people and listen to their ideas and wishes. The business council collected inputs on how to improve the business community and tourism in the settlements.
“The aim with our visits was to create new connections to the residents of the settlements. Very deliberately we held the meetings informal. We just presented ourselves and our purpose, and then we just listened to the people and wrote down their thoughts and ideas,” destination manager, Linda Kleist, says.
A lot of initiatives
Amongst other things, a possible sea weed production plant was discussed in Ikerasaarsuk. The residents told about their idea and the challenges regarding the plant idea.
”We had a good conversation about how to anchor such ideas locally, and how it is advantageous to try your hand at the challenge yourself, rather than waiting for someone from outside. It applies both in settlements and cities that the most sustainable development occurs when the ideas are anchored locally” CEO of the business council, Gerth P. Olsen, says.
Several new suggestions
After the visits to the settlement, the business council has also had conversations on the phone with several of the residents of the settlements.
“We can hear that there are several new proposals for how we can ensure the development of the settlements. It makes good sense to look on how the business community in the settlements can be secured sustainably and with a long-term view,” says Gerth P. Olsen.
“There are also a lot of ideas for tourism development in the settlements. In many cases the settlements will be obvious destinations for hiking, trophy hunting or angling. People really love their settlements. We have taken all the inputs home with us and we look forward to working with the residents of the settlements,” Linda Kleist adds.
The business council and destination management office visits Kitsissuarsuit as the last settlement in this round the 6th of September. More information can be found on the Facebookpage of Qeqertalik Business Council.