OCTOBER 2018 | VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 1
#SoConnected!
SCOTT TAYLOR
Chief Executive Advance City Marketing
“The Faroe Islands is a very special place for meetings. The combination of breathtaking nature and professional people working closely between companies to both design and execute your meeting to fulfill the goals of the meeting. That is only to recommend.”
“Think Faroe Islands for meeting organisers looking for that extraspecial destination. It’s where delegates think & feel differently and create extraordinary outcomes, not just because of the stunning beauty, and a provenance to the unique cuisine that cities can only import. It’s also the wide open skies and super- oxygenated Atlantic air that demands a creative response and drives invention that a typical meeting just can’t emulate. To think outside the box, you have to change the paradigm. Think Faroe Islands.”
JOHANNA FISCHER
EMIL B. SPANGENBERG
“The Faroe Islands have excellent business expertise in areas like telecommunication, education, aquaculture and fishery (to name only a few), and–despite being small–there is a great ambition to be among the best in the world in many organisations. The fact of having a unique culture, language and literature as well as a steadily growing restaurant and design scene make it a very interesting destination to relate to for many businesses.”
“Facilities is one thing–and this works effortlessly–but surroundings, culture and atmosphere is something completely different. Once there– the Faroe Islands will stay with you forever. It’s that simple.”
STEEN MØLLER Senior consultant TACK International
Managing Director tmf dialogue marketing
CEO & Partner Frame & Work aps.
#SoConnected! EDITORIAL LEAD Johanna FIscher j.fischer@tmf-dialogue.com +49 (0)171 4594029 CO-PUBLISHING Visit Faroe Islands MICE Website Meeting Industry ISSUED DATE October 2018 PHOTO CREDITS Visit Faroe Islands COVER IMAGE Christoffer Collin (@wisslaren) IMPRESSUM tmf dialogmarketing GmbH Raiffeisenstrasse 8, 97209 Veitshรถchheim Germany +49 (0)171 459 40 29 office@tmf-dialogue.com www.tmf-dialogue.net www.tmf-dialogue.net/corporate twitter.com/Johannadialogue linkedin.com/company/1190541 facebook.com/tmfdialoguemarketing MANAGING DIRECTORS Johanna Fischer Alfred Fischer GRAPHIC DESIGN Vinaya Prashanth
Experiential Destinations is an online magazine format published by tmf dialogue marketing as part of our multi-channel content projects for international destinations. tmf dialogue marketing is a content marketing specialist for the global meeting and congress industry, creating relevance and context for planners of intl. meetings, congresses and events. Contact us for more information around innovative PR and content marketing.
CO N T E N TS
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THE FAROE ISLANDS – SO MANY REASONS TO TAKE YOUR BUSINESS MEETING HERE!
MASTERS OF DIGITALIZATION (TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATION ON THE ISLANDS)
The Faroe Islands–an unknown gem for the MICE business 8
Digitalization: Faroe Islands are embracing e-governance 16
Top 5 reasons to meet in the Faroe Islands 10
Digital Faroe Islands–Easier, better and cheaper for the society! 18
Atlantic Airways–connecting Faroe Islands with the World 12
Jan Ziskasen / Jona Olsen–Faroese Telecom 20
Annleyg Lamhauge of VFI: Our Ambassadors are the Key Force to Winning Great Congresses for the Islands 14
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EDUCATION IN LINE WITH THE VISIONS FOR THE SOCIETY
OUTSTANDING INDUSTRIES AND KNOWLEDGE CLUSTERS
Education in Line with the Visions for the Society 22
Faroe Islands–Building legacies in the industrial sector 32
“On the Faroe Islands we are a modern society with a traditional element” 24
Faroe Fishery, marine environment protection and new industries on the Faroe Islands 34
Sóley Heradottir, director of the Tórshavn Innovation Centre 26
Nordic Seaweed–Industry of the Future 36
The new Glasir college in Tórshavn 28 Women entrepreneurs–Gudrun & Gudrun 30 4
Business Excellence on the Faroe Islands: JT Electric, a leading producer of underwater technical equipment 38
40 GEOGRAPHICAL REMOTENESS – NO HINDRANCE TO BECOME KNOWN IN THE WORLD #wewantgooglestreetview–The Faroe Islands’ Sheep View 360 campaign 40
44 TOP NEW RESTAURANTS KOKS–“Taste” the Faroe Islands in the best Nordic restaurant 44 New Restaurants 46
Numerous awards for the Sheep View 360 campaign 42 It’s time to learn Faroese 43
48 10 EXPERIENCES ONLY THE FAROE ISLANDS CAN PROVIDE
49 SCORE WITH YOUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE FAROE ISLANDS
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W E LCO M E M ESSAGE S
Welcome to the city of Tórshavn, Capital of Faroe Islands Whether I am walking in our city centre, jogging in my neighborhood close to one of our many green hillsides or having a chat over coffee with a fellow resident or a visitor from abroad, it always reminds me that Tórshavn is a truly special place.
ANNIKA OLSEN Mayor of Tórshavn
Blessed with stunning nature and a vibrant community, Tórshavn is home to a diverse cultural scene and a thriving business environment. Here you will find state of the art congress centres and educational institutions on the rise. Our capital attracts people from near and far. This is a city in constant progress, a city with excitement and a city with promise. I firmly believe that people with talent and an entrepreneurial spirit will thrive in our city because, more than anything else, Tórshavn has heart. We benefit from all the hallmarks of a contemporary 21st century capital. However, we also value and maintain our traditional heritage, our green turf roofs, our multi-coloured houses, and our genuine hospitality. Furthermore, you will find excellent restaurants with Faroese specialties and all sorts of recreational opportunities. As the of Mayor Tórshavn, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the capital of the Faroe Islands. We encourage you to follow your vision and push the agenda of your project in a capital that most certainly will make a lasting impact on your future trajectory.
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The Faroe Islands: So Many Reasons To Take Your Business Meeting Here! The Faroe Islands has a unique combination of modernity and originality. You can find yourself in 5-star conference facilities right next to a 60 million year-old theme park called ‘Mother Nature’. You can find yourself on a faraway mountain-top and able to post your Instagram pics with the fastest 4G/LTE network in the world. You can find yourself in one of the smallest and most remote spots on earth, yet you also find a society with every thinkable function, but in an ultra-minor and ultramodern version. On the following pages, #SoConnected people from the Faroe Islands tell stories about aspects of everyday life in the Faroe Islands, a possible source of inspiration to solving challenges of larger scales in larger societies. Best cases as these ones tell stories of a resourceful community made up of highly ambitious people. Never before have organizations and companies travelled globally as much as they do now, seeking inspiration and tapping into the vast ocean of opportunities for enlightenment. Visiting such an unexplored and remote spot triggers your mind in a #SoConnected way, where you get #SoConnected with your peers as well as yourself, something indispensable in today’s business world. Our country is attracting more and more interest, and we hope to inspire you to visit.
GUÐRIÐ HØJGAARD
ANNLEYG LAMHAUGE
CEO Visit Faroe Islands
Marketing Manager, MICE Visit Faroe Islands
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THE FA ROE I SL A N DS : S O MA N Y R E AS ONS TO TAK E YO U R B U S INE SS ME E T ING H E RE !
THE FAROE ISLANDS AN
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THE FAROE ISLANDS ARE A DESTINATION WORTH CONSIDERING FOR THE MEETINGS INDUSTRY: MODERN CONFERENCE FACILITIES, EASY ACCESSIBILITY, WELL DEVELOPED INFRASTRUCTURE AND A UNIQUE NATURE MAKE THE ISLANDS A TOP MICE DESTINATION IN SCANDINAVIA.
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HE FAROE ISLANDS, a small country consisting of 18 tiny islands in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean is situated between Iceland and Norway and counts just 50,000 inhabitants. This country convinces as it offers many possibilities for tourists as well as for business travelers. In 2007, National Geographic Traveler selected the Faroe Islands the world’s most attractive islands to visit, in 2013 the Lonely Planet Guide described the islands as one of the world’s best travel destinations and according to the magazine Business Destination the country is one of the 10 Top Destinations you should visit in 2015.
people. We are a small and quiet island community with a rare blend of the modern and traditional, firmly based in the ancient Nordic cultural heritage. We have a developed and well-maintained infrastructure and good facilities for meetings and conferences. Please indulge yourself and let the Faroe Islands embrace you with all her natural beauty and generosity. You will travel in our peaceful and safe country, breathe our remarkably fresh air, be spellbound by our magnificent nature, experience our ever-changing and temperamental weather, drink our pure water and eat our fresh fish and delicious mutton. We warmly welcome you.”
Despite its remote location, the Faroe Islands are easily accessible. The national airline Atlantic Airways flies from different European destinations such as the UK, Norway and Denmark. From Copenhagen for instance there are several daily flights–the national Airport Vágar, which is located only 45 minutes away from the capital Tórshavn, can be reached in just two hours. Moreover, the infrastructure is well developed: the islands have an excellent network of highways, tunnels and mountain roads. Bus and car rental, taxi drivers and ferries operating between the islands facilitate travel. Holding a meeting or conference at the Faroe Islands is advisable. There are different 5-star conference facilities such as the Nordic House which has space for up to 600 sitting guests. Another example is the Hotel Føroyar which has plenty of well-equipped conference rooms suitable for small and large meetings. It offers conference rooms from 2 to 400 guests and 106 bed rooms. There are also several 3-star hotels, among them Hotel Hafnia, and other venues available, like the Gjáargarður which is surrounded by beautiful nature. The scenery is magnificent: a combination of hard rocks, grass and waterfalls. This set up allows the combination of meetings with different kinds of activities like hiking in the Faroese mountains and forests, sailing, rowing, speed boating, fishing, rappelling, horseback riding, flying in helicopter and much more. Aksel. V. Johannesen, Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands, states: “Situated roughly half-way between Scotland and Iceland in the Northeast Atlantic, the Faroe Islands are an archipelago of 18 mountainous islands, with a population of approximately 50,000
QUICK FACTS • 50,000 inhabitants, 45 km distance from airport to capital • Capacity of 129 rooms / 266 guests in 4 star hotels • Total capacity of 320 rooms / 607 guests (incl. non classified) • Total capacity of 345 rooms / 657 guests in 45 km distance • Maximum conference capacity 600 pax • Main industries of business expertise: Martime Services, Fishing, Aquaculture, Transport and Trade, Wool Industry and Knitting, Sustainable Energy, Telecommunication, IT • Own language, own airline • New rooms coming up until 2020 • Free WiFi in all venues
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THE FA ROE I SL A N DS : S O MA N Y R E AS ONS TO TAK E YO U R B U S INE SS ME E T ING H E RE !
TO P 5 R E A S O N S TO M E E T I N T H E FA R O E I S L A N D S 1. Nature: The Faroe Islands has unique scenery. A combination of hard rocks, velvety green grass and dramatic waterfalls. A stunning picture painted in green and blue colors, where your IN LATVIA, THERE ARE A LOT OF eyes can stretch from the top of a mountain OTHER MEETING POSSIBILITIES THAN JUST RIGA! over the endless surrounding ocean at any one time.
SMALLER TOWNS OFFER UNIQUE ATMOSPHERES
2. The Island Culture: The Faroe Islands are remote CLOSER TO NATURE. and isolated, and so the ocean has served as a great defense against dilution of the islands’ original culture. There are many wonderful examples of the original culture. For instance the national costume and the language rooted in the Nordic languages – but a very unique language in its own right. 3. The Authenticity: As a business traveler you can experience the same food, drink the same coffee and buy the same brands as in the same concept stores in most of the world. But as many destinations seem to be getting more alike, the contrast to the Faroe Islands becomes even greater. There is no pre-determined route, no fence to stand behind and no plastic signs telling you what to see and feel. Absorbing reality, as it is in the Faroe Islands, almost forces you to look within yourself to discover who YOU really are.
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4. The Remoteness: The Faroe Islands may be close in distance but are far, far from everyday life. Far from stressful obligations. Far from traffic jams and crowds. Far from normality and everyday routines. 5. The Involvement: It is often said that the Faroe Islands have no tourists – only guests. People are welcoming and open, and nature invites everyone to participate. The nature is not just something you look at. It’s a place for being – for hiking, angling, diving, sailing and absorbing.
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Cēsis Castle
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THE FA ROE I SL A N DS : S O MA N Y R E AS ONS TO TAK E YO U R B U S INE SS ME E T ING H E RE !
ATLANTIC AIRWAYS CO N N E C T I N G T H E FA R O E I S L A N D S WITH THE WORLD
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INTERVIEW WITH NANCY JUSTINUSSEN, SALES & MARKETING EXECUTIVE OF ATLANTIC AIRWAYS Can you please tell us something about Atlantic Airways? Atlantic Airways is the national carrier of the Faroe Islands and our fleet consists of 3 Airbus A319/320 planes and two Agusta Westland AW139 helicopters. The fleet is one of the youngest in Europe. Our main goal is connecting our main hub, the Faroe Islands, to the rest of the world and making the Faroe Islands accessible. We operate a regular, flexible and diverse route network from the Faroe Islands with competitive prices. Most of our destinations are in the Northern countries: Denmark (Copenhagen, Billund and Aalborg), Iceland (Reykjavik), Norway (Bergen) and Scotland (Edinburgh). We also have scheduled flights to Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Gran Canaria. Additionally, we offer charter flights to other destinations as well as flights within Europe.
Nancy Justinussen
What is the cooperation of Atlantic Airways with Visit Faroe Islands? We work very closely with Visit Faroe Islands. For the last couple of years we have built up a very strong and professional cooperation and partnership. This cooperation shows of in the incoming part, MICE and also in promoting the Faroe Islands abroad. We have made 2 international price winning campaigns together with them “SheepView” and “FaroeIslands Translate.” We follow the same target: to give the best solution to the client. We all try to make your stay in the Faroe Islands very special. We give 150 % each time.
Atlantic Airways has interline agreements with several airlines in Europe – SAS, British Airways, KLM, AirFrance, Iceland Air, Finnair, Widerøe and Air Baltic
What are your key responsibility areas? I’m in charge of the incoming part with contact to all the travel agents around the world and also I´m responsible for the MICE sector.
What is special about the airline? We have approximately 180 employees, so it’s kind of like a small family. Everybody knows each other. Our cabin crew is naturally service minded and they are known throughout Europe for their professional approach to work and their hospitality. Our well trained pilots have long experience in the air and have completed courses and training in Europe and the United States.
I´m based in Copenhagen, but I also work in the Faroe Islands as often as possible and my working area is actually the whole world.
Our planes are equipped with state of the art technology. As the only airline in Europe our planes use the satellite based navigation system RNP AR 0.1 (Required Navigation Performance). The GPSbased technology makes it possible to land under extreme weather conditions Furthermore thanks to the RNP-technology our regularity has increased with 12% over the past four years resulting in a total of 99,8%. Moreover, we are very flexible and we aim to accommodate your every need. We can fly you to any destination.
What are the latest developments by Atlantic Airways? Atlantic Airways recently signed a leasing agreement with the American leasing company Air Lease which will provide us with two brand new Airbus A320neo. The first will come in the spring 2019 and the second one in 2020. These planes seat 174 passengers. In the beginning of September we started to build a new hotel in Tórshavn. The hotel will be a 4 star hotel and a part of the Hilton Garden Inn family and will be named Hilton Garden Inn Faroe Islands. The hotel will have 130 rooms and will be finished and ready for guests in spring 2020. The hotel will have conference facilities. Also Atlantic Airways just won the price as “The Best Charter Airline 2018” in Denmark at the Danish Travel Awards.
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THE FA ROE I SL A N DS : S O MA N Y R E AS ONS TO TAK E YO U R B U S INE SS ME E T ING H E RE !
Our Ambassadors are the Key Force to Winning Great Congresses for the Islands” – ANNLEYG LAMHAUGE |
MARKETING MANAGER, MICE VISIT FAROE ISLANDS
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ISIT FAROE ISLANDS know how important their local experts are in the mutual effort to bid for congresses and have nominated some of them for “Ambassador of the Year”, “Ambassador Initiative of the Year” and a dedicated “Innovation Prize” at the recent assembly to honor outstanding efforts.
On the 22nd of February 2018 Visit Faroe Islands organized their annual Ambassadors’ Day in the Faroe Islands. Dr. Shahin Gaini, chief physician, was appointed Ambassador of the Year, Katrin Abrahamsen from the Faroese Gymnastic Association received a prize for this year’s Ambassador Initiative (The 2017 Northern European Gymnastics Championships was an artistic gymnastics competition held in the town of Tórshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands) and Jákup Sørensen of NORA was selected for the special innovation prize for the fabulous Blue Fashion Challenge. Visit Faroe Islands’ Ambassador Network was established 18 March 2016 – presently it includes around 100 ambassadors in different fields. The ambassadors are in boards and working groups, and have the possibility to attract meetings, conferences and sports events to the Faroe Islands. The ambassador’s day started with a presentation by Mr. Roger Kellerman, publisher of Meetings International, who stated the potential that lies in the meeting market, and how much income this can give to the community in the Faroe Islands. Dr. Shahin Gaini, who was later appointed Ambassador of the Year, gave a presentation about a large medical conference that he hosted in August: www.nscmid2017.com. All the ambassadors had the opportunity to meet the partners in the Faroe Islands MICE network, such as hotels, venues, airline and DMCs, during the day. The following project won awards at the Ambassador’s day in Tórshavn: AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR 2018: SHAHIN GAINI, CHIEF PHYSICIAN, PHD In 2017, Mr. Shahin Gaini was hosting a large medical conference: NSCMID 2017 in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands with a participation of 400 delegates. Dr. Gaini was very enthusiastic about the project and managed to put together a high level program. Also, he was very attentive to make sure to integrate the host destination as much as possible into his conference, so that the delegates would not forget they actually were situated in the Faroe Islands. He integrated local culture and ambiance, with Faroese ring dance and a true Faroese party with local food. The conference also gave a great example for how to leave a legacy in the destination by creating a mini conference in downtown Tórshavn for the public, where knowledge and interesting findings about bacteria and antibiotics were shared.
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Ambassador of the year 2018 Dr. Shahin Gaini and Guðrið Højgaard, Director of Tourism, Visit Faroe Islands
AMBASSADOR’S INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR 2018: KATRIN ABRAHAMSEN, FAROESE GYMNASTICS ASSOCIATION Once again the Faroese Gymnastics Association managed to attract an international competition to the Faroe Islands, when the North European Championship 2017, NEC, was held in Tórshavn in October 2017. 60 judges, 110 gymnastic athletes as well as a great number of supporters took part in this international event. According to evaluations from the delegates, this was the best NEC competition they ever participated in. Initiatives from the Faroese Gymnastics Association are always characterized by great professionalism and extremely high quality by giving attention to everything from the overall organization to the smallest details. SPECIAL PRIZE OF HONOR INNOVATION PRIZE: JÁKUP SØRENSEN, NORA (NORTH ATLANTIC COOPERATION) The board has decided to give a special award to the innovative initiative of “Blue Fashion Challenge” that was hosted in the Faroe Islands in August 2017. This initiative highlights in a very different way the natural resources from below seawater, and how to use them in innovative ways. The unique event celebrates sustainable fashion and the ‘blue bioeconomy’. This design competition was created by NORA and the Faroese Ministry of Fisheries to introduce Nordic fashion designers to marine biomaterials such as fish skin, sealskin and seaweed. The focus of the initiative was on showcasing how to reuse resources and create new possibilities in sustainable fashion. This special prize of honor is also given since the ambassador has incorporated international PR from the beginning and invited famous fashion photographer Tommy Ton to the event.
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M AST E RS O F DI GI TAL I Z AT I O N
D I G I T A L I Z A T I O N : Faroe Islands Are Embracing E-Governance
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HE FAROE ISLANDS are on a mission. The mission is to transform the administrative infrastructure of the entire country to a digital one by 2020. The plan is serious, efficient and on the right track towards its goal. This project, undertaken by the Ministry of Finance in the Faroe Islands, called Digital Faroe Islands aims to give all of its 50,000 residents an online identity which can be used for all purposes. The underlying motivation for such a transformative project is not just ease of accessibility for all the residents, but carries a deeper symbolic meaning in the sense that it paints the picture of the Faroe Islands as a technologically advanced nation. It aims that with this approach, it is able to attract its young as well as old population back to their roots and work for its betterment. It predicts that the more jobs created by this project in the field of digital infrastructure and communications, the more competent people, engaged in these fields around the globe, will be attracted by the Faroe Islands.
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In the earlier days, the only modes of transport on these islands were by foot or horse or rowboat. Hence the ability of the people to get from one place to the other was largely dependent on the weather. So meetings and businesses were generally held with a “maybe” approach rather than a well planned one. Hence it got its name “maybe” islands. But this digital project is going to change the entire outlook of the people and way of administration. The words of Kristina Háfoss, Minister of Finance in the Faroe Islands, nicely sum up the motivation of this project: “The technicalities of this project are novel and innovative on its own, but it’s just as much the symbolic part of a project like this that is important. With this project, we are creating a digital infrastructure in the Faroe Islands.”
She had further emphasized the specific reason why such a project is crucial for a small country like the Faroe Islands: “You know it’s easier to turn a speedboat around than a supertanker, and this is the strategy and driving force for making the Faroe Islands a rolemodel in e-governance. In a small society, things are simpler. In the legal framework, in government and in general. Just the fact that we have fewer systems by being small creates much less legal work and our ability to leapfrog to new solutions. That’s why I believe the Faroe Islands can become world class competitors on e-governance, and a truly digitized society, providing us with competitiveness in an everincreasing globalized world.” The blueprint of the project is based on an approach invented by the Estonian nation (which is successfully running e-governance) called the X-road interoperability system. This approach is safe, secure and ensures availability of data across all platforms that are a part of this infrastructure. All day to day applications like paying electricity bills, lodging complaints, doctor appointments, banking, and admissions can be done through the same common portal. From the looks of it, it seems like the first step into the world of the future.
A private key will be given to each individual through an app on his/her phone. This along with a username and password comprises the entire digital signature. Slowly but surely, this identity can not only be used in the Faroe Islands, but also the whole of EU since it is compatible with the EU regulations. The Digital Faroe Islands project is headed by Nicolai Mohr Balle. He says: “Digitalization is of crucial importance for a small country. Especially a country like ours, that boasts itself of having a welfare society – that type of welfare society only remains relevant if we keep it modern at the same time.” This digital project is a commendable step by the Faroese Government to embrace technology for the betterment of its people and in the process, establish itself as one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world.
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M AST E RS O F DI GI TAL I Z AT I O N
Digital Faroe Islands – Easier, Better And Cheaper For The Society!”
The Faroe Islands are known to be very ambitious when it comes to Digitalisation and Telecommunication–not only as a service, but also as a strategy to provide and develop a wider choice of business opportunities for young people. Why is that necessary? IT and tourism are 2 main areas for development in the Faroe Islands and the ambition is that these industries could act as a supplement for the fishery industry as the traditional main means of income for the local people here. The National Digitalisation Program is a game-changer for the IT industry on the islands and we aim at both data and the systems to be kept here and to help build a great expertise locally. We need a lot of talent in this development and we want to motivate and attract our young people to stay or at least come back to the islands. So we want to offer them great reasons by being leaders in many disciplines.
Connecting with Nicolai Mohr Balle, Program Manager of The National Digitalisation Program
The key players in the Faroe Islands and the government want to be not only the fastest in connectivity in the world, but also leaving nobody out among the citizens, even on the remotest spots of the islands. How do you go about this vision and what does the Digitalisation Program consist of? The program got kick-started in 2014, initiated through an official visit to Estonia, where both our Minister of Finance as well as the Minister of Economy participated and got inspired to introduce e-governance to the Faroe Islands. A budget was set up in 2015 to build a sound strategy. Only after having this in place, implementation of the program elements started in 2016. The National Digitalisation Program is set up for realization over the period 2016-2020 and presently we are working on the first 2 out of 4 main project initiatives. Main project initiative and basis for all following steps is to create a) an e-identity which will be compliant to international regulations, the so-called EIDAS regulation. To provide and have an e-identity means to be owner of a secure personal key and digital identification for all citizens and businesses, which can be used by all providers of digital services both private and public. Additionally the digital identity will allow citizens to access their personal data, such as tax and health information – and, it can be used as a digital signature and to give others power of attorney.
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Main project b) is the Digital Portal, where all digital services will be gradually implemented, in order to increase the value and efficiency of public services. The process will reduce office capacity, save resources in the public sector and provide customers and citizens with faster and better services. It will be essential for the success of the Program that both citizens and businesses use the developed solutions. Both project initiatives are planned to be ready in April 2019! Once these basic structures are available, we will develop and collect c) Basic Data. That means that all fundamental information used by a great majority of the public sector, citizens and businesses, will be collected in the system. To save time and resources, information will only be submitted and registered once and will then provide great value in improving procedures and in digital services. Fundamental information is the people registry, business registry, land registry, cadastre registry and geo data. The last module in the program finally is d) the IT architecture, for a pre-requisite to re-use basic data is that IT-systems can communicate with one another with equal standards in a joint-public and secure infrastructure. How advanced in e-governance are other countries like the Nordic, the Baltics and the EU countries – e.g. do some of them apply e-signatures already? Others like Estonia or Denmark are considered frontrunners. Once we have the signature ready in April 2019, we will be one of the first who apply an e-signature which will be compatible with the EIDAS regulation, fit for the next generation of IT systems. You mentioned that the system was inspired through a knowledge exchange with Estonia earlier. Can you tell a bit more about this? Estonia was one of the first countries to develop e-governance, funded by EU money, and they use a system and technology with the name X-Road. X-Road is open source and available for everyone. That enabled us to build on an existing system, which we could adapt and further develop. X-Road basically is the “translator” providing an interface to enable the different software programs involved in the program to communicate with each other. Why can the Digitalisation Program of the Faroe Islands be interesting to intl. meeting planners and their clients?
Internationally we have still space to expand our connections and exchange. At presence we are mainly relating to the Nordic Countries and the Arctic Circle and we are open to share our information and experiences with conferences on the digitalisation subject or IT solutions, coming to the Faroe Islands. We can consult and help other nations to develop into e-governance. As a small country we are flexible and can take quick decisions, so there are a lot of opportunities to work together with international organizations. Also, the Nordic and Baltic countries just have signed a ministerial agreement on Artificial Intelligence – this is not directly connected to our digitalisation program, but it is important that the Faroe Islands are prepared for this development. In short, we are a great destination with advanced knowledge which we like to share with international counterparts! Last but not least: Do you see controversial opinions among the population about your Digitalisation Program? No, not really, there is very little opposition to the program. We really want to include each and every citizen and to train everyone. And – the analogue systems will still remain in place and be gradually reduced as the development advances and the acceptance will be at the final 100 %. All households have access to broadband and 4G, and most of them are already connected, and we have some of the fastest connectivity in the world, also in the remote islands and communities, which allows us a really exceptional outreach.
Nicolai has a sound background in development of IT infrastructure for the public sector, so he was responsible in setting up the digital systems for the health care system, which serves now as an example module for backoffice system in the Digitalisation Program. MORE INTERESTING READING: This small country wants to become the digital land of tomorrow Faroe Islands look to Estonian example setting up own e-governement system
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M AST E RS O F DI GI TAL I Z AT I O N
Our target is it to be the best in the world of telecommunication in near future!”
We are small, remote but among the best – and there is more to come! Our target is it to be the best in the world of telecommunication in near future! To be connected is very important for a group of remote islands like the Faroe Islands. That is on one side to be connected with each other: every single household – even on the most remote places of the islands – is connected by broadband and 90% of all households run at a speed of 50 Mb/s – which is above global average speed (45 mbps). There are two providers on the market competing for the business and consumer segments. Some rankings you might come across can be confusing – as the Faroe Islands are an autonomous country within Denmark, they do not show as a separate nation in most of the international rankings – they are too small to register.
Connecting with Jan Ziskasen, CEO of Faroese Telecom
The mobile coverage on all the islands is at 100% for populated areas and roads and 95% of any geographic terrain. Mobile coverage already is the best in the world! It is available even in the deep-sea tunnels, connecting some of the islands and on sea up to 120 km distance. Even the football stadium in Tórshavn, the Tórsvøllur, is equipped with strong reception and can be modified for mass streaming anytime, if big events are coming up. If you are interested in some more details please see https://www.faroeislands.fo/people-society/ infrastructure/communication-infrastructure/ But a top-level connectivity is not only important on and within the islands. For business and innovation it is of utmost importance to be connected to related communities around the world. Just look at the story of how communication developed on the islands! It is just 112 years ago that the telegraph cable came ashore in Tórshavn, connecting Shetland Islands with the Faroe Islands and onwards to Iceland – now it was possible to communicate with the world using communication technology rather than ships . Since then it has been a lot of hard work and dedication to build the necessary cable infrastructure necessary for a world-class connectivity! From first copper cables for telephony until 1993, as the internet became commercialized. Faroese Telecom provided oil platforms West of Shetland with internet in 2007, oil terminals (which are the depots for oil or petrochemical products) in Shetland and Orkney and connected a floating production, storage and
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offloading vessel (FPSO) West of Shetland (Glen Lyon). The company’s experience to work in a rough and remote environment surrounded by sea provides them with a competitive edge in finding solutions in the North Sea area. The cable equipment started with CANTAT-3 (CANadian Trans ATlantic cable) in 1993, then fiber as backbone and finally 10 years later in 2003 the first submarine communications cable gave the islands the necessary redundancy. Additional infrastructure followed – all of these are huge and ambitious projects undertaken by the Faroe Islands. Now, in liaison with the Chinese ICT giant Huawei, Faroese Telecom has implemented the latest 4,5G LTE technology to cover every inch of the Faroe Islands, staking claim on world leadership in mobile connectivity with average speeds rapidly approaching 100 Mbps. And the Faroe Islands is now also on-route to 5G, participating on the Scottish Isles in a 5G pilot project funded by the British Government. True 5G is expected in the Faroe Islands in 2020. Already with the 4.5G technology Faroese Telecom are approaching what is called GIGA speed. In labs 960 mbps (0.96 gbps) were reached – these are extreme speeds and these high speeds are beyond what normal mobile devices are capable of. And why all this speed and huge capacity is necessary? Because there will be millions of things, connected in the internet and needing a capacity beyond our present imagination to function real-time and parallel! This all is basis for the internet-of-things of the future! Another one of the company’s latest projects is an Arctic Satellite communication – Faroe Telecom are now also looking into space! Working with the Danish Defense, Danish Space Institute, European Space Agency, and Icelandic and Greenlandic Telco’s on sending two satellites into orbit covering the arctic footprint.
Jan Ziskasen is the CEO of Faroese Telecom since 2015. He has an interesting leadership philosophy which is to transform people’s lives and it is therefore important for him that every action, conversation and decision is heading in that direction. There are seven key leadership categories that govern how he leads: • building organizations that function without the leader [clock builder] • continue to grow as a leader and bringing others along [continuous growth] • fast decision making and where needed with appropriate risk [pace] • always being there for people and yet have plenty of time [caring] • being a deliberate and intentional communicator [communication] • leading with the head and the heart [completeness] • being diligent and dedicated in every area [passion to win]
The Faroe Islands are very small but there is no need for small nations to limit themselves. In the new world with disruptions happening all the time it is possible to aim at being number ONE, and that is what the Faroe Islands are doing across many areas – not just in telecommunications!
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EDUC AT I O N I N L I NE WI T H T H E V I S I O NS FO R T H E S O CIE T Y
Education in line with the Visions for the Society”
Connecting with Bergur D. Hansen, Dean of the Department of Faroese Language and Literature on the future strategies of development for the University of the Faroe Islands.
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HE UNIVERSITY OF THE FAROE ISLANDS is a state-run university located in Tórshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands. The student body is small with about 1,100 students in total, and the official language of the University is Faroese, making it the only university in the world to conduct its classes in that language. The University works closely with higher educational institutions in neighboring countries on research and teaching, and it is involved in a growing number of collaborative projects and exchange programs with international partners all over the world. It is the Faroese government which funds the University with an annual operating budget of approximately 90 million DKK.” (Source: studyinfaroeislands.fo) To visit the head office of the university and part of the campus seems like a toy version of such an honorable place of education. Meeting with the Dean of the Department for Language and Literature, Dr. Bergur D. Hansen, proved to be an interesting excursion into Faroese literature, culture, context and visions for society at large. Part of the meeting was joined by the associate professor for literature and language, Prof. Bergur Ronne Moberg. So besides the university’s plans for the future, the meaning of literature in an ultra minor and ultra connected nation was discussed (the subject of Prof. Moberg) as well as the great writers of the Faroe Islands. It is the general strategy to grow the University and provide a greater variety of courses to the students. Behind that target stands the need to build talent and expertise for the development of the Faroe Islands, as young people will just move abroad if they do not find their favorite topic here in the University. When planning new courses there often is a conflict of interest between the wishes of the industry lobby and the preferences of the students. For example the Faroe Islands are leading in marine research and technology, but as a course to study that seems not to be so tempting to the students. They prefer subjects like computer science or social sciences – right now the university offers a bachelor degree in computer science here on the Faroe Islands. It takes 3 years and then the students need to go abroad to do their master degree which is another 2 years. Chances are that these students then come back to the islands, if they only leave for 2 years abroad. Whereas if they would leave for 5 years, it might be likely that they meet a partner, get married and stay away from the islands.
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So, to expand and grow the subjects and the courses in this university provides good reason to the young generation to stay here or to come again. That brings new opportunities and secures future growth for the society. “Our target is also to bring the world to the Faroe Islands and get more visibility and acknowledgement” – says Prof. Hansen. In a small university like the one on the Faroe Islands, more teaching than writing and publication happens. So the academic staff is involved in international relationships wherever possible and keen to expand the networking beyond the traditional networks in the Nordic Countries, with which there is a lot of co-operation in research and teaching. Prof. Bergur D. Hansen gives lectures on travel writing and modern poetry. On the Faroe Islands, lyric poetry has a much stronger tradition than writing prose. The first novel written in Faroese was published in 1909, while poetry and oral literature go back to the middle ages. One great example for a writer of novels and the most famous author coming from the Islands is William Heinesen, who died in 1991. He wrote in Danish language, but comes from the Faroe Islands and the society, people, mysteries of nature and living conditions here are his favorite subject. The most famous book and a warm recommendation to everyone interested in the Nordic soul and conditions of life in the 20th century with all the shifts in society happening is “The Tower at the End of the World”. To promote the Faroese language, the University offers summer schools to foreign students of Germanic or Nordic languages, which last 3 weeks – there is a lot of interest for these courses, which take place every other year and are open to a total of 25 students. The study of language and literature – offered both as a BA- and MA degree – is particularly popular for girls – from 21 new students this year, only 5 are male. On the Faroe Islands it is very important to create qualified education and consequently better jobs for women and to offer choices for living and remaining on the Faroe Islands. At presence no tourism subject is taught at the University – but Prof. Bergur Moberg is working on connecting the local literature with places on the Faroe which could well become a great cultural visit program. Other topics taught at the university are the Faroese History and Language, Story-telling, Natural sciences /Marine Biology and Fishery – the latter being a
Image copyright: ©University of the Faroe Islands
subject of co-operation between the industry and the University. There is a new course on art & creativity, like creative writing and music. Music on the Faroe Islands has been more connected to songs rather than to instrumental music. This is typical for countries which have been rather less affluent compared to the European mainland in the old times, like the Faroe Islands or for example Ireland: in such societies creativity was predominantly expressed through poetry and singing, as people did not have the means to buy instruments or get painting materials. Presently there is a shift happening in perception about the Nordic areas. Previously always seen in clear context of the Nordic Countries, the awareness now shifts toward being part of the Arctic – which also is due to the climate change and the geopolitical changes and political greed for resources incurred. There is another tone to the term “Arctic” countries than talking about the “Nordic” countries – in so far, that the Arctic context seems to be more mysterious, remote, even frightening in a way. It sends different signals and that strongly affects the story-telling. Crime novels happening in the area are related to this change of perception. But it also creates a new and wider context and new interest in the area. A new campus area is planned to happen in the next 15 years to expand the space. The University of the Faroe Islands is not part of the Erasmus program as it is not a sovereign nation; individual scholarships have therefore to be applied for at the university. MORE READING ON THE SUBJECT http://www.norden.org/en/news-and-events/news http://studyinfaroeislands.fo/programmes/theuniversity-of-the-faroe-islands/dep-of-faroeselanguage-and-literature
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EDUC AT I O N I N L I NE WI T H T H E V I S I O NS FO R T H E S O CIE T Y
On The Faroe Islands We are a Modern Society with a Traditional Element”
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HE FAROE ISLANDS is a homogeneous society with roles, relations, norms and culture grounded in family values, and which is affected by the distance to other countries and by life on and with the sea. The people are strongly connected to each other but at the same way they are a mobile society. Many young people go abroad after finishing secondary education to study (of the 2,600 Faroese students undertaking tertiary education, around 1,600 of them study abroad and around 1,000 in the Faroe Islands). Some of them stay abroad after finishing their studies, therefore, to avoid “losing” young talent to other countries, strategies and programs need to be developed by the government to provide the choices young people want. Faroese people also have a very special way of being interconnected - Prof. Hayfield calls it the “Interconnected Faroese Network”. Everyone seems to know each other, and if not, they will have a mutual connection. You can get an impression of how the Faroese network with each other by flying with Atlantic Airways to Vágar airport – it seems like a big family is on the plane home, chatting, going around and saying hello, laughing, discussing or even singing. This includes the very friendly staff of the airline!
Connecting with Erika Anne Hayfield, PhD, Associate Professor, Social Science at the University of the Faroe Islands, talking about peoples’ relationships and how they affect the Faroese society.
That particular strong sense of belonging sometimes brings people who lived abroad to come back to the islands at some point. But at the same time it also makes it rather challenging for the new immigrants to find their place in society - they must find out how to build and use their very own personal network. One of Prof. Erika Hayfield’s research areas is the power asymmetries and gender relation on the Faroe Islands. Power asymmetries between genders for example exist on the labor market, where women in general are highly active, but overwhelmingly work part-time. More importantly women are not well represented in management positions, so the balance of gender justice is impaired. Welfare for example is one of the sectors where many women work – a sector with a traditional part-time culture. New industries strategically supported by the government are tourism, IT, research and teaching. They offer alternatives to the classic fishing and marine industry which is naturally dominated by men. Norms of masculinity entail that men do not have the same caring rights when it comes to children or family. The findings of Prof. Hayfields research can help politicians to decide for developments affecting the society positively.
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Image Copyright: ©University of the Faroe Islands
Faroese people move a lot – to study, to work, to travel. Often they meet someone abroad, get married and stay there. The target for the society is to give them choices and attractive reasons to stay in or come back to the Faroe Islands. Recently a “policy on gender equality” was written by the Faroese Ministry of Social Affairs to identify and regulate a range of gender equality issues, including caring rights, like paternity leave for men. An important step to contribute to the better of the society – whereas other neighboring countries like Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway have a strong background of gender justice.
Prof. Hayfield and the social science department of the University entertain a range of relationships with other small states and islands to discuss similarities and exchange on possible solutions. It is all about “the survival of societies in distant places and the way people live in such places”. They engage in relationships with colleagues and places at the peripherals of the Nordic countries, and also with islands like Malta, all of which have comparable challenges or societies.
“Everyone must be able to choose for themselves what kind of lifestyle they want to live” – whether it is to give priority to the family or to favor a career with good chances to grow professionally in a good job. “We do not evaluate or judge lifestyles, we just try to find out what causes them” and what the underlying reasons are for changing patterns. As Prof. Hayfield says “ the way we live together as men and women does not necessarily come natural but is affected by choices we make within a spectrum of opportunities and constraints” – and a wide spectrum of choices must be made available.
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EDUC AT I O N I N L I NE WI T H T H E V I S I O NS FO R T H E S O CIE T Y
Companies based on knowledge have better chances to grow”
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INCE MAY 2018, Sóley is the new director of the Hugskotið Innovation Centre in Tórshavn and she is full of new ideas about how to encourage and facilitate a greater variety of knowledge and innovation on the islands. The purpose of the Innovation Centre is to support startups, to provide affordable co-working space and encourage networking, increase of knowledge and exchange among the companies working from there. The Innovation Centre itself is co-located in the new building of the University at the Tórshavn West Port in a former store-house and is financed by the municipality of Tórshavn. (The Tórshavn Havn, the port of Tórshavn, is the largest trading and ferry port of the Faroe Islands. Here, 500,000 tons of goods are handled annually. The Faroe Islands usually call their capital only Havn (“harbor”). So it’s the port of the country. In the building of the University the latest extension has resulted in a fine and contemporary auditorium in a former silo tower, which will be available for meetings. In the ground-floor – below the auditorium, a cafeteria will be opened soon.)
Connecting with Sóley Heradóttir Hammer, Director of the Hugskotið Innovation Centre in the University of the Faroe Islands
At presence there are 36 entrepreneurs across different industries working in the Hugskotið Centre. It is important for the University and the municipality of Tórshavn as well as for all the Faroe Islands to expand the variety of knowledge. This will improve opportunities for young people in the islands as well as ensure independency and self-support on the islands. As the Innovation Centre is still developing and growing, all pitches, opportunities and cases winning competitions are published in Faroese language only, which will change along the way to attract foreign entrepreneurs or investors to the islands. So, what are the new director’s plans for the near future? Soléy plans a series of “accelerators” – the first one aims at producing ideas for the tourism business. A competition which is open to all new ideas or projects will be the first step in the project, resulting in a selection of the 5-6 most interesting projects and matching them with mentors who can help building and develop the business model. A pitch for local investors will follow. Another new project will be a “smart-city” event in Tórshavn – a “city-hack” as Soléy calls it. What all can be done smarter in the city – in all aspects of public life and its processes. The first event is planned for this September and will include students of both the
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university as well as from the new Glasir College. It can be a good idea to bring a conference around the topic of “smart-cities” to the islands – a city like Tórshavn with only 20,000 inhabitants but with a fully fledged infrastructure can serve as a perfect model for new concepts – application of any new programme can be closely observed and easily amended.
Soléy Heradóttir Hammer has a Bachelor of Science (BSc), Political science and government and is presently concluding her master for law.
One more concept in Soléy’s strategic plan is to install a new “swop-system” to exchange business entrepreneurs with special knowledge between Iceland and the Faroe Islands (as she is half of both)to start with. The idea is to then further expand this swop-system and include other countries as well. A key driver for all the planned projects is that “knowledge is more important than money”. Keeping this “mantra” in mind, another important module will be to organize workshops in the Hugskotið Innovation Centre in order to inspire the Faroese entrepreneur community and to share knowledge with business leaders. Soléy is presently collecting ideas and examples to find the right approach and to identify best possible options for the transfer of knowledge.
tmf dialogue marketing - We point out the areas in which the Faroe Islands have excellent business expertise – to connect with similar projects or knowledge clusters around the world. We want the world to come to the Faroe Islands and network on all projects that are introduced here – for more check: https://www.tmf-dialogue.net/ category/smart-congress
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EDUC AT I O N I N L I NE WI T H T H E V I S I O NS FO R T H E S O CIE T Y
The New Glasir Education Centre in Tórshavn – A Perfect Example How Open Space and New Learning Formats can Change Education!
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HE NEW GLASIR EDUCATION CENTRE is the largest ever project built on the Faroe Islands and is not only a striking construction but also a symbol for a whole new idea of education. Designed by the Danish architects Bjarke Ingels Group and Faroe Islands architects Fuglark , the project has taken exactly 10 years to materialize from when it was approved by the Government in 2008. It is situated on a hillside on the outskirts of Tórshavn, to serve as a base for coordination and future development of all educational programmes in the region.
Connecting with Egil Jacobsen, Head of Department for Languages and Literature, at Glasir
As the largest educational building project in the country’s history, the institution combines Faroe Islands Gymnasium, Tórshavns Technical College and Business College of Faroe Islands in one building, housing 1,200 students and 300 teachers. The location of the building is 100 m above the sea level with a panoramic view overlooking the sea, mountains and harbor of Tórshavn. The structure is of circular shape consisting of 5 floors, connected with staircases. A big auditorium and workshops for the business college ad a sense of wider community among the different school types in the building. Pupils shall not be separated in their type of school, but learn what other young people of the same age are doing – and learn to respect different educations and ways of life. “The project is designed as a vortex, radiating out towards its surroundings while at the same time focusing in on the school’s inner landscape for learning the lessons of life. Each institution is organized as a school in a school with ideal conditions for each, while creating a sense of community for learning and life”. (Taken from the architects website) The whole awesome building seems to embrace and invite to the pleasure of learning and interaction! Egil Jacobsen is one of the teachers in Glasir and kindly giving us a tour around the building. When entering and walking around the bright space, you
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can feel this particular aura of “learning with joy”. On all the 5 floors, pupils are sitting in groups, alone or in pairs, in what seems intensive discussions or working groups. The space allows any individual learning experiences – high tables and chairs, steps with pillows to sit on, lounging areas, sitting bags and also some regular chairs and tables – the pupils choose their favorite surrounding for their work. It is amazing that there is no sense of flippancy involved – all the little groups seem to be focused and wholeheartedly absorbed in whatever they were dealing with. They look relaxed and happy in what they do. In a school! The building and the concept seem to encourage a different perception of what used to be a more gravity involving period in the life of young people before! In the meeting industry we talk a lot about new formats of meetings and interaction – a visit in the Glasir College proves firsthand how well these concepts work and what co-working and co-learning can look like large scale! It would be the perfect place for a big conference with the latest in break-outs!
Classrooms are constructed around the wide balconies to the outside walls of the building and are transparent towards the balconies. It feels a bit odd in the beginning to walk around and look, but the staff and the teachers were told that they must not tiptoe around – transparency is part of the pupils’ education! Despite it is only open since August 2018 the system seems to work quite smoothly already. The word “Glasir“ in old Norse mythology means a tree or a grove – “the most beautiful among gods and men” - outside the Valhalla. Isn’t that a wonderful choice of name to give a school where young kids can flourish and grow! For many years Egil Jacobsen has been a teacher in English and Sports in the Faroe Islands and Denmark. Now Head of Department for Languages and Literature in the new education centre, as Glasir has merged from three units into one large entity with ca. 1,500 students and 250 employees.
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EDUC AT I O N I N L I NE WI T H T H E V I S I O NS FO R T H E S O CIE T Y
Guðrun & Guðrun Sold in places such as the trend-setting Isetan department store in Tokyo and carrying an amazing story, Guðrun & Guðrun is a Faroese knitwear label produced on the islands, from organic materials and using a sustainable workforce. The idea is based on using what the Faroese have in abundance: sheep and wool (80,000 sheep on 50,000 inhabitants) and women who know how to knit and need work! With these key ingredients and lots of good ideas Guðrun & Guðrun have created a globally recognized brand with great knitted products, all hand-made from local wool and very fashionable! The Faroese are creative by nature, and many have chosen to express their creativity by making clothing and products inspired by the Faroe Islands and using resources found on the different islands. Knitting in the Faroe Islands has been a part of the Faroese clothing culture and a means of income for centuries. Even today, large numbers of (mainly) women still knit various types of clothing, such as sweaters, underwear and socks. Website Guðrun & Guðrun: www.gudrungudrun.com
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS Sissal Kristiansen - Shisa Brand Sissal Kristiansen’s Seal Woman creation was selected as the winner of the 2017 Blue Fashion Challenge, in part for the captivating nature of the story accompanying the design. Her design combines four elements and two material types: • Dress: made of a new jersey-algae fabric blend introduced during the competition. It features a hood that gives the Seal Woman her emblematic silhouette. • Smock: a perfect example of the inspiration Kristiansen draws from Japanese culture. It is made of natural-finish salmon leather. • Bag: made of salmon leather and designed for the traveller. It symbolises the fishing industry, and those familiar with fishing will recognise its resemblance to the way fish are layered in cases before transport. • Belt: made of fish leather. Can be turned into a bracelet. The Seal Woman wowed the jury with its seamless and fully-realised design that was coupled with a compelling back-story, as well as for the high level of detail and diversity of techniques it integrated. Taken as a whole, the Seal Woman demonstrates an impressive range of creative and craft skills. The way the leather pieces were assembled – with minimal cutting and a large proportion of biomaterials – was a strong argument for the overall sustainability of the design. The creation earned Shisa Brand first place in the competition and landed Nordic marine biomaterials a worthwhile ambassador.
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Sissal Kristiansen
Guรฐrun & Guรฐrun
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OUTSTA N D I N G I NDU ST R I E S AND K NOWLE DG E CLU ST E RS
Faroe Islands –
Building Legacies in the Industrial Sector While it’s true that no amount of words can do justice to the beauty of the Faroe Islands, many articles have been written about its picturesque appeal. But there’s much more to the Faroe Islands than its appearance. For one, its industrial sector with its focus on specializations that characterize the islands, is evolving and diversifying rapidly. Since this sector is in its initial stages, it is a great time for international players to bring their events to the islands and to invest in this budding economy or provide knowledge transfers and thus leave a great legacy in the destination. Being an island, most of the economy derives its sustenance from marine related activities. There are specialized services with respect to marine technology, fisheries, shipping, aquaculture, marine biology, navigation, oceanography, biotech etc. The work here is focused and constantly evolving. The main industries of the Faroe Islands can be classified as follows: MARITIME SERVICES: The maritime expertise of the Faroese is widely renowned, signified by a high degree of flexibility and professionalism, which extends to crew, officers, shipping companies and service providers alike. This flexibility is deeply rooted in Faroese culture and maritime history, with a strong seafaring tradition.
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FISHING: The fishing industry, which is distinctly diversified and constantly developing, has been the main source of income for the Faroe Islands since 1920. It has played a major part in the economy and continues to do so today. Fishing and related fishing industries employ around 15% of the labor force and accounted for approximately 20 percent of the gross value added to the Faroese economy. The fishing industry (including farmed fish) also represents around 95% of the total export of goods and services. Faroe Islands are one of the world’s highest salmon producing countries. Thanks to the Faroese Veterinarian Act on Aquaculture prevention program, farmed salmon from the Faroe Islands is completely free of antibiotics. All fish provided from the Faroese Islands is of highest quality and taste – due to the low temperature of the sea water and its clean and fresh conditions. TRANSPORT AND TRADE: Being an island, import and export is an indispensable part for sustenance here. The transportation services are widely available and provide fast access to all major ports in the world. The Faroe Islands have entered into a number of Trade Free Agreements and agreements on fishing rights with neighboring countries, such as Norway, Iceland and Switzerland. Another trade partner is the European Union.
WOOL INDUSTRY AND KNITTING: Faroe Islanders are creative by nature, and many have chosen to express their creativity by making clothing and products inspired by the Faroe Islands and using resources found on the different islands. Gudrun & Gudrun is a famous company, which uses Faroese sheep wool to produce high-end fashion products that are sold worldwide. Knitting in the Faroe Islands has been a part of the Faroese clothing culture and a means of income for centuries. Even today, large numbers of (mainly) women still knit various types of clothing, such as sweaters, underwear and socks. SUSTAINABLE ENERGY: There is great potential in the Faroe Islands for the use of renewable energy: hydropower, wind and tidal power. In order to utilize the islands’ domestic energy potential, the government’s policy is to transform the heating of buildings from oil to electricity, and to transform the production of electricity from oil to renewable. Longterm, the transport sector will also run on electricity, produced by renewable energy. The main energy supplier of the Faroe Islands, SEV, has officially announced that the goal is to have 100% green energy production by 2030, and this announcement has not gone unnoticed. At the Nordic Council Awards in Reykjavík in October 2015, SEV was awarded with the Nature and Environment Prize, for their ambitious targets and innovation, and for making substantial efforts in promoting renewable energy.
These industrial sectors have a great appeal worldwide, especially from the corporate and association meetings industry point of view. The Faroe islands provide a very special set up for holding events and meetings. Being a self dependent and fairly isolated settlement so far, they have their own unique take on every industry, which the rest of the world can learn from. Especially in the fisheries and wool industry department, one can rely on the expertise of the Faroese people. On the other hand, the Islands and their people are a young and budding economy, so they can benefit a lot from well established industrial practices around the world. There is mutual benefit and learning for both the parties involved. The Faroe Islands are the best place to create and leave a sustainable legacy. A legacy concept could mean to leave physical or technical infrastructure used for your event in the destination. It could focus on pulling in the locals to embrace, for example, the particular topic of a fisheries congress or raise their interest for opportunities available in the energy industry a major sustainable energy conference. It can also increase the awareness of a particular subject or topic in a city or region to integrate their local experts in that segment. The fact that this place would probably be the most beautiful place that the visitors of any event would have seen so far, would just be an icing on the cake.
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OUTSTA N D I N G I NDU ST R I E S AND K NOWLE DG E CLU ST E RS
Faroe Fishery, Marine Environment Protection and New Industries on the Faroe Islands
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EING AN ISLANDIC NATION, fishery forms an important part of the Faroese economy and sustenance of the people. Having known this, the Faroese people have taken painstaking efforts to develop this industry to achieve maximum efficiency and sustainable output while still balancing the environmental factors.
Faroese fisheries and aquaculture do not only contribute to global food security, but they also supply international markets with high-quality products and provide the people of the Faroe Islands with sustainable livelihoods. The marine products of Faroe Islands are considered some of the best in the world in terms of quality and taste.
To illustrate the importance of fisheries in Faroe Islands, this fact is most powerful – Fish and fish products, including farmed fish, represent between 90 and 95 percent of total export value, and around 20 percent of the GDP. The Faroe Islands have become a significant actor in the global seafood market, mainly as exporters to the EU, but recently to markets outside the EU as well.
Reducing the environmental impact of fishing on the marine environment is an essential part of responsible fisheries management today. Marine environmental protection is regulated according to the Marine Environmental Act, with regulations implemented in line with requirements under international conventions such as the MARPOL convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships and the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment in the North Atlantic.
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maritime occupations. The Centre of Maritime Studies and Engineering has four lines of education, Skipper, Ship’s Master, Mechanist and Marine Engineer, intended for manning all vessel types and sizes. Education complies with the international standards for maritime training, providing internationally recognized maritime qualifications. Increasing demand for new sustainable marine resources is paving the way for a new industry in the Nordics: Seaweed. It is a promising product, with great investment opportunities, that could be a sustainable source for food, feed and biomedicine in the near future. At the end of September 2017, Nordic Innovation and the Macro Cascade Bio Based Industries project held a two-day event in the Faroe Islands called “Nordic Seaweed – From Research to Innovative Business Opportunities”. Industry and researchers from all over Europe were invited to show how they use seaweed to create new products, conduct innovative research, and to speak about the rapid emerging industry. The event was an activity under the Nordic Marine Innovation Programme 2.0 that began in 2015. Here is a short video showcasing an example how this conference contributed to win investors and create innovative business opportunities based on marine technology development on the Faroe Islands.
The responsible authorities are the Environmental Agency, the Faroese Maritime Authority and the Faroese Fisheries Inspection. The Fisheries Research Fund is a dedicated research fund established by the Ministry of Fisheries & Natural Resources aimed at stimulating scientific and industrial Research and Development (R&D) projects in the areas of Marine Biotechnology, Fish Harvesting Technology, and Fish processing Technology. Faroe Islanders have gained an excellent reputation in the maritime sector internationally, not only through their long experience in fisheries, but also as mariners and engineers in the international merchant shipping sector. In addition to the general range of secondary and tertiary educational and training opportunities in the Faroe islands, a number of institutions offer professional studies in the field of fisheries and
The North Atlantic region has a broad network of regional bodies for international cooperation on the conservation and management of living marine resources and the protection of the marine environment. Active participation in this North Atlantic network of cooperation is a major priority in Faroese marine resource management policies today. The major cooperation bodies are: • NEAFC: Northeast Atlantic Fisheries Commission • OSPAR – Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-east Atlantic • International cooperation on the prevention and elimination of pollution from land-based and offshore sources, dumping or incineration, and assessment of the quality of the marine environment. • ICES – International Council for the Exploration of the Sea • International coordination and promotion of marine research in the North Atlantic, providing scientific advice on fisheries for governments and intergovernmental bodies.
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OUTSTA N D I N G I NDU ST R I E S AND K NOWLE DG E CLU ST E RS
NORDIC SEAWEED – INDUSTRY OF THE FUTURE Seaweed Cultivation – Wait, what?! Yes, you read that right. Seaweed cultivation is a thing and it is here to stay! Around 15 years ago, seaweed would be considered just like grass on a sidewalk, harmless but undeserving of a second glance. But in the recent years, people have discovered this highly untapped potential of the seaweed and now it is all set to become its own industry. The Nordic countries, with Faroe Islands at the forefront, have discovered and researched large number of possible uses of seaweed and the research is still ongoing for more. There are two glaring benefits of this cultivation: 1. Seaweed grows at a very fast rate and hence the cultivation can be highly profitable. 2. 70% of the earth’s surface is water, making the areas available for its cultivation nearly unlimited.
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Benefits The original function of the seaweed is similar to that of trees on land. It absorbs the CO2 and nitrogen in the ocean and cleans the water. It helps maintain ocean temperatures and thus combat climatic changes. This should be reason enough to cultivate and maintain a proper seaweed production. However, the uses of seaweed go far beyond this. It has been found that seaweed can be a great source of food as well as feed for other animals. Some studies even claim that seaweed is the answer to the world’s food security problems in the future. Its fast growth and ample growing space makes it a highly sustainable food option.
Nordic Innovation and the Macro Cascade Bio Based Industries project held a two-day event in the Faroe Islands called “Nordic Seaweed – From Research to Innovative Business Opportunities”. A number of start-ups and companies exhibited their ideas and plans in this area. This was followed by visits to the plants and cultivation centers of Faroe Islands based companies, most importantly, Ocean Rainforest and TARI – Faroe Seaweed. There are a number of other companies dealing with commercial seeding, cultivation and conditioning of seaweed. A lot of research is on regarding the state of the art extraction of bioactive compounds from seaweed for use in pharmacy, cosmetics etc. An in-depth article about business opportunities out of seaweed production can be found following this link. Case study – Ocean Rainforest Iceland and Norway have longstanding traditions of seaweed harvesting, and the Faroe Islands are considered a front runner in developing offshore cultivation systems. The Faroese Company Ocean Rainforest is one of the very few companies in the world that seeds, cultivates and harvests seaweed on a commercial scale in offshore conditions. In 2016, Ocean Rainforest was contacted by Catalina Sea Ranch, an American aquaculture facility operating in the LA Bay area, asking them to join a project on offshore seaweed cultivation in the US. They needed participants with offshore expertise and experience, and Ocean Rainforest was just what they were looking for. This is a testament to the expertise and innovation of Faroese companies in this industry.
A recent study from Australia suggests that livestock fed on seaweed-based feed emits 60 percent less methane than if fed on traditional feed. Moreover, seaweed has qualities that can replace the use of plastic, be used in textiles and medicines, and serve as biofuels. Seaweed contains bioactive components, which have found uses in the cosmetics and biomedicine industries. Research is ongoing to tap all the useful components of the seaweed and diversify its uses as much as possible. The following video aptly summarizes the research on seaweed uses:
The seaweed cultivation and processing industry is one of the best examples of Faroese innovation and contribution to the world in a field that is an integral part of their way of life.
Companies and products A number of European countries are taking concrete steps in converting seaweed cultivation from research laboratories into sustainable industries. The Faroe Islands are the leading hub of innovation and opportunities in this area. In September 2017,
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OUTSTA N D I N G I NDU ST R I E S AND K NOWLE DG E CLU ST E RS
Business Excellence on the Faroe Islands: JT Electric, a leading producer of underwater technical equipment
Connecting with Justinussen, CEO at JT Electrics in Kambsdalur
JT ELECTRIC was founded in 1972 and is a full service supplier for the aquaculture industry around the world for responsible fishing preventing bycatch. Since 1 year Suni Justinussen is the new CEO in the company which is owned by some of the leading business people and investment companies from the Faroe Islands. JT Electric delivers all technical products for the aquaculture industry. The market is Faroe Islands and the rest of the world. 20 years ago, JT started producing underwater lamps for salmon farming. This was the beginning of a new over sea market, which later led into big cooperation with foreign fish farmers and suppliers to this industry. In June 2012, JT moved into new office and sales environments, making it possible to increase the sales and production part of the company. The strategy has changed from being only a local company to be one of the leading companies in the north Atlantic, producing and selling feeding systems, underwater lights and cameras for the aquaculture. JT is the market leader in the local aquaculture market on the Faroe Islands, which have been supplied with feeding systems, camera systems, lighting systems,
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automation systems, barges and technical installations. Based in one of the world’s toughest testing environments for marine equipment, JT electric sees soaring overseas demand for its underwater applications, notably video recorders for trawl fishing, lights and cameras for fish farming, as well as full equipment for salmon and fish farming. Under Suni’s leadership the company now takes next big steps into international markets and at same time constantly develops new products, underwater cameras which deliver live images acoustic sensors – no cables involved.
the the like via
Despite sounding a bit technical and dry, it is a highly fascinating industry into which Suni takes us with his explanations. With a focus on salmon, the company for example develops and sells computerized and automatic feeding systems for fish in aquaculture. Did you know that Salmon are very picky when it comes to food – they only accept the exactly same size and shape of pellets as the days before. Should the pellet be squeezed or shorter than before, they will refuse it.
The feed is very expensive, so it can’t be wasted and also can’t be provided to the fish following just a gut feeling about the quantity. The company builds the barges which store the feed for distribution and which are the centre of the feeding operation. The barge is connected with the cages in which the fish are kept. Through a central computer system, feed quantities are determined and given to the fish in the optimal way. Barges are built by JT Electrics since 2013, so they can provide everything necessary to aquaculture except the round cages and the net needed to keep the fish together. For cages and nets JT Electrics co-operates with a cluster of companies in the same area which is a great advantage for intl. clients who come to see the supplies – they will receive a coordinated offer in Kambsdalur. For more info please see the company website: http://www.jt.fo
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G E OG RA P HI C A L R E MOT E N E SS – NO H I NDRANCE TO G E T K NOWN IN T H E WO RLD
#wewantgooglestreetview – The Faroe Islands’ Sheep View 360 campaign Google Street View is almost everywhere – but not in the Faroe Islands. That’s why Durita Dahl Andreassen of Visit Faroe Islands said that if Google Street View will not come to the Faroe Islands, she will make the Faroe Islands visible to the world in another way. So she brought the project “SheepView360” into life using the hashtag #wewantgooglestreetview. The idea was simple: a couple of sheep were outfitted with specially designed harnesses that secure a solarpowered camera to their backs. As the animals move around the islands, the cameras capture the surrounding landscape. Via GPS coordinates Durita receives the videos and pictures on her smartphone and then uploads them on visitfaroeislands.com/sheepview360. Finally, Durita has achieved her aim: Google found out about “SheepView360” and travelled to the islands to help her with the project! Together they have decided to continue making the Faroese own version of Street View. Instead of using their cars, Google has brought some cameras, a Google Trekker and its support. So instead of replacing the Google Sheep View, they have expanded the fleet of cameras. Now they can make Street view with sheep, bikes, backpacks, ships and even a wheelbarrow.
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G E OG RA P HI C A L R E MOT E N E SS – NO H I NDRANCE TO G E T K NOWN IN T H E WO RLD
Numerous Awards for the Sheep View 360 Campaign
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HE MEDIA COVERAGE in the foreign press was like absolute madness: With a budget of only $200,000, Sheep View 360 generated two billion media impressions and an estimated PR value of around $50 million. The campaign, in turn, shared the natural beauty of the little-known islands with the world, garnering support from countless destinations worldwide. Deservedly, Visit Faroe Islands was awarded at different occasions. In November 2016, Visit Faroe Islands won two silver awards at the prestigious Epica Awards held in Amsterdam. In January 2017, they received 4 Vegas Awards – in the categories “Marketing Effectiveness”, “Innovative / Experimental”, “Branding / CI” and “Integrated Campaign”. Followed by the top Travel & Tourism Award at the World Media Awards 2017 in April. Guðrið Højgaard, Director of Tourism at Visit Faroe Islands, said at the award ceremony in London: “It really is an honour to have won the Travel & Tourism Award at the World Media Awards. The intention of Sheep View 360 was to be able to share the stunning beauty of our nation with people around the world and it is wonderful to have this recognised on such a revered stage. One of the key criteria that had to be met to secure the top award was to ‘demonstrate the power of storytelling’ and this is something that is very close to the heart of our nation, with a culture historically founded on storytelling and song. The award therefore
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means a huge amount to all of the 50,000 Faroese people; we are truly honoured and delighted.” In June 2017, another award for the Faroese: the Sheep View campaign won 3 Golden Lions at the Cannes Festival of Creativity. The event is considered the largest gathering of worldwide advertising professionals, designers, digital innovators and marketers. The Lion awards are the most coveted and well respected in the entire advertising and creative communications industry. Árni G. Olsen, Sales and Marketing Manager at Atlantic Airways, said: “To win three awards at Cannes is more than anyone dares to dream about. This is an incredible honour and we are delighted that the campaign worked so well.” Working with Visit Faroe Islands on Sheep View 360 were creative agencies Sansir and Liquidminds, the Faroese national carrier, Atlantic Airways, Kovboyfilm, London-based PR agency, Travel PR, and Hamburgbased PR agency, Ehrenberg.
It’s Time to Learn Faroese
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ith less than 80,000 people speaking Faroese worldwide, and a growing tourism market, the Faroe Islands realized that not being included on Google Translate has frustrated their visitors who couldn’t fully immerse in the Faroese unique traditional culture by learning a few phrases in Faroese. So, Faroe Islands created their own translator! Creating their own version of the online translation service, with the help of locals who translated live by video, was a viral success with Faroese being translated “live” into more than 215 different world languages and over 1.3 million people tried the unique Live Translate service at www.FaroeIslandsTranslate.com.
in Faroese, whilst watching and listening to a local speaking the language, and also to gain a window into the magical world of those that live in the Faroe Islands. According to the jury, the campaign was “a simple and genius idea, engaging the population of the Faroe Islands in a campaign to save their language, creating a viral campaign which generated awareness of a little-known territory.” In June, Faroe Islands Translate won a Bronze Lions award in the PR category at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Both projects were a cooperation between Visit Faroe Islands and Atlantic Airways.
It was a viral hit and the campaign won the top Travel & Tourism award at the World Media Award ceremony on March 23 2018 in London. Faroe Islands Translate allowed people from around the world to type their word or phrase into the website and to have a translation video instantly recorded by a Faroese volunteer and sent back, free of charge. The initiative allowed people everywhere to learn words
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TO P N E W RE STAU R A N TS
KOKS - “Taste” the Faroe Islands in the Best Nordic Restaurant THE FAROE ISLANDS are well-known for their excellent food being based on local produce, such as fish, lamb, seafood, birds and herbs. There are many restaurants serving food that meet every taste. The most famous restaurant is KOKS. Since opening its doors in 2011, restaurant KOKS has won the hearts of food lovers in the Faroe Islands and beyond. In 2017, it has won the ultimate foodie accolade – its first Michelin star, propelling it onto the world stage of top dining experiences. KOKS is the first restaurant in the Faroe Islands, which has a population of 50,000, to receive a Michelin star. Run by 27-year-old Faroese chef Poul Andrias Ziska and sommelier, Karin Visth, KOKS focuses on innovative traditional Faroese food, giving its guests the chance to taste the Faroes and its seasons through local produce. The young avant-gardes at KOKS use Faroese produce, both coarse and fine, ancient and modern, whilst ensuring that the gathering and consumption is sustainable. Rather than blazing new culinary trails, every effort is put into exploring the ancient Faroese practices of drying, fermenting, salting and smoking. KOKS’ menu is determined by the various seasons and what they have to offer, transforming ancient culinary tradition into modern delicacies. Simple and pure, fresh and traditional. At a gala in Copenhagen on February 19, 2018, it was announced that KOKS has retained the star in 2018 as well. In 2015, the KOKS was already awarded with the “The Nordic Prize” for the best restaurant in the Nordic countries.
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At KOKS, our aim is to create the ultimate dining experience. An experience strongly influenced by our deep-rooted Faroese traditions and the remarkable local produce found at our doorstep. This is our strength, and often our job is simply to let the extraordinary produce speak for itself,� Poul Andrias Ziska | Faroese Chef
Image Copyright: Ingrid Hofstra (@ingridhofstra)
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TO P N E W RE STAU R A N TS
Restaurant Katrina Christiansen
THE TARV
A Faroese restaurant inspired by the Spanish-tapas style.
A newly-opened grill house located by the larger of the two harbours in Tórshavn. The restaurant serves deliciously grilled meat and fish.
The old building has served multiple purposes since it was built in the early 1700s. It has functioned as a barber shop and grocery shop, and is also the birthplace and home of the most famous Faroese writer and artist, William Heinesen. The building was renovated in 2016 and emphasis was put on preserving as much of the original building as possible. Website: http://kc.fo
Restaurant Frumbiti A modern restaurant located in Tórshavn, city centre. The menu features both classic and seasonally inspired dishes from locally souced meats, fish & vegetables. Website: https://www.frumbiti.fo
Website: http://tarv.fo
Restaurant Skeiva Pakkhús Skeiva Pakkhús is fabulously situated by the old marina in Tórshavn where old schooners nestle by the wooden pier. This gives possibilities for open air receptions on the pier followed by dining inside the old warehouse, which was recently renovated in a contemporary style featuring elements of the original building combined with modern design. The dishes are local produce put in a new and exciting context, sometimes interpreted in an avant-garde style giving them a cutting edge. They are carefully prepared by dedicated top chef Leif Sørensen, a founder of the New Nordic Food Manifesto. Website: http://skeivapakkhus.fo
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etika It’s the only sushi restaurant in the Faroe Islands. It serves some of the world’s finest sushi by combining Japanese cuisine, fresh Faroese fish and a sparkle of creativity. The menu also features grilled fish, seafood, beef and lamb. Website: http://etika.fo
Heima í Havn Visit the cluster of 4 restaurants and a Mikkeler Bar in the incredibly narrow former main street in the old town of Tórshavn. Here you find deliciously fresh Fish Tapas in restaurant Barbara, long roasted lamb in restaurant Áarstova and fermented dishes with inspiration from the Faroe Islands and internationally. Website: http://heimaihavn.fo
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10 E XP E R I E N CE S O N LY TH E FARO E IS L AN DS P ROVI D E
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2 1 You’d be hard pushed to find a more dramatic and beautiful archipelago in the world. The Faroe Islands are ‘Europe’s best-kept secret’.
2 The only round-about in a sub-sea tunnel in the Atlantic Ocean. (new tunnel between Streymoy and Eysturoy islandsis under construction and opens in 2020)
3 App to check on the use of sustainable energy on the islands: when there is a rainy and windy day, we see that we are running on 100% sustainability.
4 A private dinner in Anna’s and Óli’s house.
5 “Hoyma” concerts in a private house initiated by the founder of the G-Festival (Eysturoy Island).
6 Beach Restaurant “Sand Café” at Tjornuvik with view on the Giant and Beast rocks – only in summertime, sorry! Smile
7 Fastest telecommunication in the world.
8 Best tap water in the world.
9 A visit at Gudrun & Gudrun to discover the latest in knitted wool fashion.
10 A special Faroe Tapa culture which comes from exporting bacalao to Portugal and Spain in earlier days.
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SCO R E WITH YO U R K N OWLE DG E ABO UT TH E FARO E IS L AN DS 50,000 people and 70,000 sheep are living in the Faroe Islands. The population of the Faroe Islands consists of 80 different nationalities. You can find the Prime Minister’s phone number in the phone book. Many houses in the Faroe Islands have grass roofs and sheep are used for mowing the grass. There are only 4 traffic lights in the Faroe Islands – all located in the capital city Tórshavn. Faroese company Bakkafrost is the eighth largest salmon farming company in the world. Prisoners in the Faroe Islands enjoy a 5-star prison in the hills with view on the Fjord. However, if being held for more than a year and a half are sent to prisons in Denmark. No point in the Faroe Islands is further than 5 km from the sea. The oldest event venue in the world in a wooden house (900 years old) is located in the Faroe Islands (village Kirkjubøur, island Streymoy).
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REYKJAVÍK
We fly up to three times daily throughout the year directly from Copenhagen, and several weekly flights from Billund, Bergen, Reykjavik and Edinburgh – directly to the Faroe Islands. In the summer also from Aalborg, Barcelona, and Mallorca – directly to the Faroe Islands.
FAROE ISLANDS
BERGEN
AALBORG EDINBURGH
BILLUND
Read more and book your trip on www.atlantic.fo
BARCELONA MALLORCA
Atlantic Airways
Vága Floghavn 380 Sørvágur
Faroe Islands
Tel +298 34 10 00 GRAN CANARIA
COPENHAGEN