May 30, 2024 Faroe Islands passes sustainable tourism law to protect nature and culture

The Faroese parliament has passed a law on sustainable tourism aiming to create a more sustainable and well-managed tourism environment. The law outlines the conditions for hiking across the islands and specifies when tourists must pay for access to hiking trails.

“The previous legislation stating the right to walk the traditional paths is the agriculture law from 1937, long before anyone thought about tourism in the Faroe Islands,” shares Oyvindur av Skarði, Senior Advisor of Innovation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Industry and Trade.

He explains that as tourism has surged in recent years, farmers and tourism operators have met these opportunities with various private unauthorized systems, leading to an increasingly pressing need for regulation.

“After a very long process with multiple consultation rounds, strong protests from farmers as well as from groups claiming the right to roam, like in other Nordic countries, and after a very heated political public debate, two-thirds of the parliament finally reached an agreement on the new law on sustainable tourism.”

All tourists aged 16 and above staying in paid accommodations will be required to pay a sustainability fee. The fee is added to the accommodation cost with 20 krona (2.70 EUR) per night, with a cap of 200 krona (27 EUR). The income from these fees is earmarked to maintain and sustain hiking paths, support tourism planning initiatives, strengthen the overall tourism sector, and improve conditions for tourists, ensuring a well-organized experience upon arrival in the Faroe Islands.

On certain places where privately made paths and other facilities are made accessible for tourists, additional fees may be charged for access and services.

In some circumstances, the law may also be used to restrict access to the countryside, such as when collecting the sheep or in the lambing season. The access may also be restricted due to poor weather conditions. It is also possible for local communities to restrict the number of tourists, to ensure these communities remain good places to live in.

“The aim is to achieve environmental, social, and economic sustainability, in that order. Thus, the law shall protect the natural environment, the existing agricultural activities, and also ensure local ownership and participation so that the country as a whole can benefit from the tourism industry.”

Photo: Sebasian Fieber