Closer supervision of tourists

Many tour guides are earning money from tourists who walk in the mountains.

But these tour guides are not Faroese citizens and do not have the authorisation to do what they do.

“This needs to stop, and we are doing everything we can to solve this problem,” says Sigert Patursson, chairman of the Farmers’ Union.

The Freeholders’ Association and the Farmers’ Union recently agreed that freeholders should have the right to decide who should be allowed to charge tourists who walk off the beaten track in the mountains.

Niels Petersen, chairman of the Freeholders’ Association, says that there have never been any walking restrictions for local people, and that will not change.

The two union chairmen are critical of the Visit Faroe Islands advertising campaigns, which they argue invites tourists to come to the Faroes where they are free to do as they wish.

“This is not right, because by doing so they are in a way selling something they do not have a right to sell,” says Petersen

The two unions are urging the national authorities to make sure that all information sent out to tourists is correct.

“Now we need to organise our activities in a way that allows us to provide this service, rather than having foreign tour guides who do not know the local conditions,” says Patursson.

Jóhan Pauli Helgason, head of development at Visit Faroe Islands, has a different view on the matter.

“We invite tourists to come and experience our country,” he says. “Our main attraction is our nature, and anyone who is interested in knowing what is and what is not permitted will find it on our website.”

Helgason does, however, acknowledge that some of the information needs to be updated.

See also:

Legislation on walks beyond the beaten path

Pamphlet for tourists deemed misleading