Destination report
Meet on the wild side
WILD ABOUT DESTINATION BRAGGING RIGHTS? TRY THE FAROE ISLANDS – AT LEAST,
FOR NOW, VIRTUALLY VIA A SPECIAL REMOTE TOURISM TOOL
s CMW reported in June,
the Faroe Island’s
Remote Tourism tool
proved a real hit,
allowing 700,000 people from 197
countries to explore the North
Atlantic island archipelago remotely.
A thousand of these virtual visitors
also had the chance to explore the
nation with a Faroese guide via a live
video camera and remote control, by
transforming their PC, tablet or
phone into a joypad, and requesting
their guide to turn, walk, jump or run
across the island within a 60-minute
tour.
The Faroes’ 18 islands sit between
Iceland and Norway and belong to
the Kingdom of Denmark. The
Remote Tourism Tool project fits into
a broader, ambitious Visit Faroe
Islands strategy for developing
tourism and economic growth. The
CVB says that, in terms of overnight
stays, the original aim for 2020 was
to double numbers from 2013. That
target was already reached in 2019,
luckily, before the pandemic struck.
Hotel capacity in the capital area
doubled in 2020, better equipping it
to welcome meetings delegates and
well as leisure travellers as soon as
the strict quarantine rules are lifted.
Meanwhile Visit Faroe Islands has
been doing its best to keep the islands
at the forefront of buyers’ minds using
online channels.
The Remote Tourism Tool brought
the rugged mountains, waterfalls and
traditional grass-roofed houses to
screens, and also facilitated live
interaction with a local Faroese, who
acted as the virtual visitors’ eyes and
body on a virtual exploratory tour.
The Visit Faroe Islands team also
used the IMEX Frankfurt hiatus in
May to hand the camera to partners
in the Meetings Industry Network,
allowing buyers to go on remote site
inspections with Faroese partners
that they, in normal circumstances,
would meet on the show floor. During
those days when IMEX was missing
in Frankfurt, the CVB reached out to
1,842 buyers in this way.
“The global Covid-19 situation has
forced upon us a new reality. We now
need to refocus and rethink our
situation, and work on how we plan
on making a strong business
comeback in 2021 and beyond. We
need to find new, creative solutions,”
says Visit Faroe Islands’ Annleyg
Lamhauge.
The Faroe Islands’ well-defined
destination brand has attracted many
smaller business events and although
challenging times lie ahead the CVB
team’s spirits remain high.
“We now
need to
refocus and
rethink our
situation,
and work on
how we plan
on making
a strong
business
comeback in
2021 and
beyond”
Top: Sigurd
Nordendal,
visitfaroeislands.
com
Bottom, left:
@giuliegiordi/
Mynda Bruk,
visitfaroeislands.
com
ISSUE 108 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 31