When you’re coming to East Greenland, one of the first settlements you’ll have a chance to visit is Kulusuk. As the other settlements in Ammassalik, Kulusuk remains relatively immune to Western influence despite the regular influx of tourists.
The population of Kulusuk is quite uncommon for a settlement in Greenland inuit with many Danish living there, due to the airport. Medical services are provided by one resident Danish nurse and one resident educated local helper. The school, which was rebuilt in 2005, has about 70 pupils with a high degree of educated teachers. The church was constructed by the crew of a Danish sailing vessel that ran aground on the nearby coast and constructed from the timbers of the ship itself. A model of the ship still hangs above the organ of the church. The cemetery is located about 200 metres from the centre of the village. No names appear on the crosses in honour of the Inuit tradition that the name of the deceased is passed on to another at death and lives on to the next generation. Unemployment is high and many of the villagers depend upon tourism to supplement the more traditional pursuits of hunting and fishing. The village is served by the Hotel Kulusuk which was erected in 1999 and provides a base for the more adventurous tourist.