| Presentation at the Fly Faroe workshop |
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Good Morning, Ladies and Gentlemen.
I am Elin Heinesen. In February this year I was appointed managing director of the recently formed Faroe Islands Trade & Tourism Council – the merged Faroe Islands Trade Council and Faroe Islands Tourist Board. My first official day at work was only last week, so right now I’m just struggling to keep up with the massive loads of information coming my way regarding the council and the circumstances around the merger and so on, so I won’t be speaking about what might be expected of me today – about the merger and what strategies or tourism policy implementations lie ahead. It’s too early to reveal anything concrete about that. But anyway… that does not mean that I have nothing to say. Otherwise I would not have been appointed managing director of the council – I would think. So I will be speaking about, how I see the Faroe Islands now and the prospects of increased tourism on the islands – and hopefully be able to inspire you.
The Faroe Islands? But why should we go there? What kind of place is that? You’ve probably heard customers ask similar questions. If you don’t know how to explain to your customers why the Faroe Islands is such an interesting place – in comparison with other places that might attract them – well, I will try to provide you with some motivating argumentation today.
You have probably heard of the prominent visit here on The Faroe Islands that will take place on the 24 of May this spring. I am referring to former President of the United States, Bill Clinton, and the chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission Hans Blix, former foreign minister in Sweden. Both of them will be speakers at a Business Conference right here in the Nordic House on the 24 of May. One can only speculate why high profiles like Bill Clinton and Hans Blix chose to accept the invitation from the Faroese House of Industry. But if you think about it, it might not seem so surprising after all.
The two of them will be speaking about globalisation – and that particular topic is probably one of the main reasons, why – seemingly – remote places like the Faroe Islands are becoming more and more interesting to more and more people. I believe that in a world of increasing globalisation the periphery becomes more interesting because it is so different. Just think of Iceland and Bjørk. That is why remote places like Iceland and maybe now the Faroe Island become the focus of attention and therefore – in a way – become the new centre. I will explain further what I mean…
There are still new frontiers to be discovered in the world – and the Faroe Islands might be just that: an unspoiled treasure. Many visitors, who actually only came by on their way to Iceland, have been taken by surprise when they saw – and felt – what kind of place this is. Some even say: “This must be the best-kept secret in the world!”
But how long will it remain a secret? Many previous visitors have fallen in love with the place and have come back several times to spend more time there. And they have told others about it. That might be one of the reasons why tourism is now the fastest-growing industry in the Faroe Islands.
Is the weather as bad as they say? Well, yes – it is relatively cold, windy and wet most of the time… just like outsiders imagine. That is probably why many people think the islands might not be worth visiting. But if it is so bad, why do visitors become so fascinated by the place then? So much so that some of them return every year, and some even decide to settle down for the rest of their lives. I personally know a few of them, and one of them said: “I cannot say exactly what it is, but the Faroe Islands make a very deep dramatic impression. Somehow you just feel more alive here…”
The New York Times published an article on The Faroe Islands by the journalist Stephen Metcalf on the 25 of March this year. The intriguing headline went: “Into the Mystical Unreal Reality of the Faroe Islands”. And I will quote from this article: “The Faroe Islands is easily the most moodily beautiful place I have ever been. Each island is a giant slice of elaborately tiered basalt, tilted to one side and covered in green, tussocky felt. Streamer clouds, almost mannered in their perfection, encircle the mountains. Rocky cliffs, topped in arêts and tarns, plunge into the sea, while up from the water jut massive, looming sea stacks. It rains here a lot, and waterfalls flow pretty much continuously.”
This is – in my view – a beautiful poetic description of The Faroes. And let’s stay in the poetic corner. Danish author and jazz singer Suzanne Brøgger, who visited the islands in March 2007, described her experience in a radio programme in this way: “It’s a cosmic experience. The Faroe Islands is a country which is – and is not. It is in constant flux. It keeps disappearing:. One moment it’s lost in the fog, and suddenly – there it is again in all its magnificent beauty. Like magic. Like reality and fairytale in one. In these majestic surroundings you become almost painfully confronted with life’s vulnerability – and that is really inspirational. That is probably why creative people thrive here and why such magnificent art on an absolute top international level is created here. Actually, I was invited to the island Antigua to sit under a palm tree, but I preferred to visit The Faroe Islands – maybe because it seems to suit my temperament more.”
But how did they keep this secret for so long – the Faroese? Do names of singers like Teitur and Eivør, or writers like William Heinesen and Jørgen Frantz Jacobsen, or painters like Mikines and Tróndur Patursson ring a bell? Indeed, the Faroese have a very rich culture and history. They love their country profoundly. But they are not proud of having what they think is probably the worst weather on earth. They cannot imagine that people from countries with warmer and sunnier weather would be interested in visiting a place like this. So even if they have developed into a modern society fully in line with their neighbours, they have been keeping a low profile outwards for a long time. Living tranquil is living well, they say.
That is the main reason why they have kept the secret to themselves, and why the Faroe Islands have not been culturally affected by the outside world as much as many other countries in this part of the world. Consequently the Faroese have a very strong cultural identity, which is one of the things that often amaze visitors. In a world where globalisation levels out cultures to the point of lost identity, things have actually combined in favour of the Faroese. In that sense bad weather has formed the surroundings, the skills and the very soul of the Faroese in a favourable way. If you turn it around this way – ‘bad weather’ might be just the reason why you should visit the Faroes!
Ah well – let’s be fair – it is not that bad after all. As Suzanne Brøgger says: It is constantly changing. One moment the weather is beautiful and calm; the next moment deadly winds, rain or snow force all life to a momentary standstill. Nature rules – not people. That’s just the way things are here in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, where tall mountain walls suddenly rise dramatically from the water. No land within sight. Nothing but blue waves as far as the eye can see – all the way to the nearest mainland, Scotland, more than 400 kilometres away.
For millions of years the roaring ocean with its heavy waves has been slowly eating away at these rocks in a constant battle with the cliffs – leaving almost vertical hillsides that suddenly drop hundreds of meters straight down into the deep blue sea. The ocean climate and the small size of the Faroes may make them one of the wettest countries on earth, so the landscape is traversed by rivers, brooks and waterfalls wherever you go. It is a miracle that people and creatures have managed to survive here in this seemingly inhospitable place for more than a thousand years.
But there is more to it than first meets the eye. This misty fairy land hidden out here in the North Atlantic holds many amazing surprises. If you travel just a bit deeper into it you will find narrow fjords and straits and soft sappy grass in bright green valleys complemented by cosy small villages by the seaside with closely-packed houses in all colours of the rainbow, where people live together in peace feeling content and safe. The crime rate here is among the lowest in the world, the average duration of life is among the highest in the world, and the birth rate (2,6 children) is the highest in all of Europe. Recently a scientific research concluded that fish caught in the ocean surrounding the Faroe Islands is up to ten times healthier to consume than fish caught in other parts of the world.
If you look even further into it, you will discover that this nation – once so isolated – has moved to a new level. The Faroe Islands might seem remote and peripheral, but they are actually in the middle of everything – strategically located along important sea lanes in the north-eastern Atlantic right between the two richest continents on earth – only a one hour flight away from The UK, Norway and Iceland and two hours from Copenhagen, Denmark.
The Faroe Islands are one of the world’s leading nations in terms of sustainable fishery. 45 % of the power consumption is generated by rainwater. Today the islands are fully up-to-date in terms of modern technology. Almost everyone is online connected to the outside world by satellites and fibre cables on the bottom of the ocean.
Until recently, the only way to reach the remote villages and islands was either by small boats or by walking up and down steep mountains. Today the country is pierced with tunnels through mountains and under the sea, leaving 85 % of the people less than an hour away from each other.
Highly educated Faroese people work all around the world – scientists, engineers and hundreds of sailors navigating heavy tankers and carriers across the five oceans. So even if other people might be unaware of the Faroes, the Faroese themselves are very aware of the outside world – and they have understood how to use this to their own advantage.
These are some of the reasons why the Faroe Islands is such an interesting place and probably why Clinton and Blix chose this place over several others.
And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope that you will get back safely to your home filled with excitement and motivation and ready to bring the message to the world – The Faroe Islands is indeed a place worthwhile visiting.
Thank you very much for your attention. FACTS: |
