The Faroe Islands Will Close to Tourists for One Weekend

Interest in exploring less-visited destinations has grown in recent years, with travelers opting to trek to the ends of the earth to see what most have never seen. One location that has seen increased interest in recent years is the Faroe Islands (https://www.visitfaroeislands.com/), a tiny archipelago far north from the United Kingdom and Ireland, between Norway and Iceland. Although autonomous, the islands are part of Denmark and the remote location lures adventure travelers who want to stray far away from the beaten path and spend time in one of Europe’s best-kept and most-beautiful secrets.

In order to preserve their natural beauty and retain their standing as a less-popular tourist destination, the Faroe Islands will close to tourists in April. The destination’s tourism website says they are “open for voluntourism.”

During the weekend of April 16–17, the islands’ major tourist attractions and sights will be closed, although hotels and flights will continue to operate. On this weekend, both residents and visitors to the island will work on various conservation projects, and the islands have encouraged those who want to visit during then to sign up to volunteer for one of these projects. Due to the popularity of this project in 2019, the Faroe Islands plan to make this an annual event.

Registration for the 2020 event is closed, but interested travelers can sign up for notification about 2021’s event.

While the Faroe Islands never want to deter people from visiting, they do want to ensure those who visit help maintain the islands for future generations by contributing to sustainable and responsible growth.