Virtual vacation: Tour Denmark’s Faroe Islands with ‘remote tourism’

The coronavirus pandemic has caused hundreds of thousands of trips and vacations to be canceled over the last few months.

While some airlines are implementing new guidelines and procedures to keep staff and passengers safe, many people still don’t feel comfortable traveling.

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But what if you could visit some place new from the comfort of your own home?

Denmark is inviting would-be travelers to visit the country via “remote tourism.” The option allows people to virtually tour the country’s Faroe Islands territory, a set of 18 rocky islands between Iceland and Norway.

“Now that we don’t have any tourists on the Faroe Islands, we have a lot of extra time on our hands,” Gudrid Hojgaard, the director of Visit Faroe Islands, said in a promotional video. “So we thought that we would give those of you who couldn’t visit as planned and everyone else a chance to visit the Faroe Islands through us.”

Visitors can access the game-like experience on the Visit Faroe Islands website, where there are organized tour times. Remote tourists can control where tour guides go by clicking on arrows that direct guides to go left, right, forward or backward. They can also instruct guides to run or jump.

“Via a mobile, tablet or PC, you can explore the Faroes’ rugged mountains, see close-up its cascading waterfalls and spot the traditional grass-roofed houses by interacting – live – with a local Faroese, who will act as your eyes and body on a virtual exploratory tour,” officials said.

Hojgaard said virtual tourists can only direct their guides, equipped with live video cameras, to areas that are safe for the guides. They’re able to sail in waters, ride horses and fly in helicopters.

Each tour is free and lasts for at least one hour.

Multiple people can attend each virtual tour. Each person in attendance can control the guide in one-minute intervals.

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