TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Denmark's Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, has launched a fleet of cars for tourists. With this car, tourists will be taken on a self-guided adventure across 30 curated routes using advanced navigation technology. This allows tourists to discover hidden places in the islands.
Most tourists tend to visit well-known tourist spots in one area. However, there are also more secluded places that tourists rarely visit. As reported by McKinsey & Company in 2024, about 80 percent of tourists only visit 10 percent of the world's tourist attractions.
Rental Car Objectives
Visit Faroe Islands, the tourism board of Faroe Islands, initiated the launch of the Auto Odyssey: Self-Navigating Car Adventures. Tourists who rent this car agree to follow the travel plan, leading to several quieter and lesser-known corners of the island. This includes roadside eateries and small hidden villages in spectacular fjords.
This innovation aims to encourage visitors to explore less popular places on the island. Even when renting the car, tourists agree to follow step-by-step directions without knowing the tourist destination they will visit that day.
According to Guri Hjgaard, CEO of Visit Faroe Islands, tourists visiting iconic places are driven by algorithms and social media, where circulating photos of tourist spots lead many people to visit those places. "The result is overtourism—and predictable experiences. The Faroe Islands have experienced increasing pressure on selected sites themselves, and now we are trying to reverse the flow—quite literally," she said, as quoted from Travel+Leisure.
Hjgaard added that this innovation offers a new way for tourists to explore the Faroe Islands and takes them to places that they could never discover on their own. "This is a more thoughtful kind of journey, designed to both protect what’s most beloved and reveal spots often overlooked," she said.
Attractions of the Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are located between Iceland and Scotland. The region is known for its dramatic cliffs, deep fjords, and natural beauty. Tourists can hike the dramatic cliffs and observe wildlife, such as the famous puffin birds, on the island. Additionally, the islands also offer a unique charm with a sheep-to-human ratio of almost 2:1.
As quoted from Travel and Tour World, tourists who book this rental car can start the journey by scanning a QR code to get directions. Each route includes four to six destinations within a three to six-hour time frame, with the next stop only revealed upon arrival.
There are 30 travel plans, curated from a local perspective, covering activities such as visiting roadside fish and chip shops and exploring historical sites along the highest sea cliffs in Europe. This includes visiting the historical Funningur Church, one of the oldest grass-roofed churches in the Faroe Islands. Hiking across beautiful fjords or stopping at stunning lakes like Funningsvatn offers visitors the chance to experience the island's natural landscape in a highly personal way.