The Chinese tycoon Huang Nubo, also a former officier in the Propaganda Department, proposed to build a luxury hotel and an “econ golf course” at Grimsstadir, Iceland where snow falls from September to May every year. According to the NYTimes article, “even for Icelanders accustomed to harsh weather and isolation, Grimsstadir is a particularly desolate spot”. The current government of Iceland was baffled by Mr. Huang’s interest and speculated the political motivation behind the proposal because Grimsstadir is too cold to become a resort. Mr. Huang’s Beijing company denied the speculation and responded that “most Chinese now don’t like to travel to dirty, noisy places”. However, although Mr. Huang’s company has expressed interest in purchasing the foreign land to build resorts, regulations of current Iceland government doesn’t permit such act. The article also mentions Beijing’s interest in shipping routes through the wider Arctic region.
Do Mr. Huang and the wealthy Chinese really want to golf in a dead cold place because it’s clean and healthy?
This is strange – maybe the NYTimes journalists were victims of a publicity stunt, because the concept doesn’t make sense across many dimensions.
As the previous comment implies, a publicity stunt seems to may have gotten the best of the journalists, but the prospect of a place where Chinese people like to travel without noise or city-like features may be something to consider when creating a resort or any potential vacation spot.