Prague, Czechia—Greenland and Panama, two countries that differ from every imaginable aspect and yet they still have something in common. Both have been trending political topics on the world’s stage recently due to references made by the U.S. President, Donald Trump. This prompted Kiwi.com to take a look at each location from a tourism perspective.

 

Greenland is known for its strategic position between Europe and North America and its rich natural resources have long attracted the attention of world powers. However this arctic jewell has seen an increase in tourism over the past years, too. This trend was further boosted by the opening of a new international airport near Nuuk in November 2024. The airport can now handle long-haul flights, which previously had to land at a former military base. This development makes Greenland more accessible to a broader range of travelers seeking unique experiences such as viewing the Northern Lights, whale watching, glacier expeditions, hiking the Arctic Circle Trail, and exploring Inuit culture. 

 

Greenland gains global prominence

Although Kiwi.com’s data indicates that it is one of the lesser traveled routes with only a handful of bookings, searches for flights to the country suggest it is quickly gaining prominence in the minds of global travelers. Google Trends shows a spike in global searches for Greenland beginning in December, with a peak in the second week of January. At one point, Greenland even surpassed Panama, another trending country. Searches for flights to Greenland on Kiwi.com increased by 120% in January compared to the previous year and by 50% compared to December 2024.

 

“We have seen the strongest increase in interest in Greenland coming from the USA, with the second highest number of searches in January. Last month, our US customers made four times more searches than a year ago,” commented Sergi López Rey, Director of Commercial Analytics from Kiwi.com, on the emerging trend.  “Unsurprisingly, the highest number of searches were for connections originating from Denmark, with three times as many in January compared to last year and 50% growth month-on-month,” he concluded. However, these countries are not alone as Greenland has generated huge interest globally – UK searches +178% year on year, Germany +100%, France +219%, Poland +154%, Canada +82%, and Czechia +224% – to name a few examples.

 

Panama’s evergreen appeal

Panama, on the other hand, has been popular with the backpacker fraternity for many years as one of several favored destinations in the region. If travelers seek jungle, skyscrapers or the warmth of the locals, Panama has it all. They can explore the natural sights, wander around the once pirate-infested old town, or sample the local delicacies such as grilled octopus and fried bananas. 

 

“The best time to visit Panama is between December and April when the weather is perfect. Panama has a tropical climate year-round, with a dry season from December to April and a rainy season from May to November, which still has plenty of sunny days,” recommends Levente Fülöp, a young Hungarian traveler, who visited Panama as part of the World Travel Hackers summer challenge organized by Kiwi.com. 

 

As it is the main tourist season, the recent spotlight provided by President Trump did not drive significant year-on-year changes, but there has been a global growth of 20% in flight searches to Panama month on month in January compared to December last year, according to Kiwi.com data. From the USA, searches increased by 17%, from Colombia by 35%, from France by 29%, from Brazil by 32%, from Italy by 41%, and from the UK by 26%.

 

While Greenland is surging ahead in global searches and Panama maintains its enduring appeal, these contrasting travel trends underscore a worldwide appetite for both new frontiers and timeless tropical escapes.

 

 

–ENDS–

 

About Kiwi.com

Kiwi.com is a leading global travel tech company headquartered in the Czech Republic. Kiwi.com’s innovative algorithm enables users to find better route options and prices other search engines can’t see, performing billions of price checks per day across 95% of global flight content. 100 million searches are carried out every day on Kiwi.com’s website and partner channels. On average over 50,000 seats are sold daily.