Visit Faroe Islands‘ “Closed for Maintenance, Open for Voluntourism” campaign has been hailed by econsultancy.com as one of “Five unique travel marketing campaigns in 2019 that show a shift to emotional storytelling”.
Major tourism sights in the Faroe Islands were closed from 26-28 April 2019, except for the 100 tourist volunteers who were given free board and lodging in return for helping with practical projects to improve facilities for the approximately 100,000 visitors who now choose the Faroe Islands for a holiday.
The Voluntourism campaign was was designed to promote both tourism and sustainability
“Since finding success with its previous campaigns, such as ‘Sheep View’ and ‘Faroe Islands Translate’, Visit Faroe Islands has been key to mitigate the potential impact of tourism on its environment,” notes econsultancy.com, adding:
“As well as working towards a positive outcome, the ‘Closed for Maintenance’ campaign is particularly effective in how it promotes the Faroe Islands’ commitment to sustainability. Highlighting the contradictory nature of the need to maintain environmental responsibility and promote destination tourism – it’s a good example of how to handle a topic that’s certain to become all the more relevant for travel and tourism brands in future.”