Exploring the “unexplored”: A sociolinguistic exploration of tourism in the Faroe Islands

This dissertation studies the growing tourism industry in the Faroe Islands from a sociolinguistic perspective. In recent years, the Faroe Islands have turned to tourism for increased economic stability; however, as seen in many other countries, a growing tourism industry can, aside from its economic benefits, also have a range of negative effects on a society. The dissertation explores this complexity, focusing on three aspects of the Faroese tourism industry that are examined through three empirical studies.

The first study examines how the Faroe Islands are branded to tourists on Facebook by Visit Faroe Islands and, consequently, how the country becomes competitive in the global tourist market. Through the branding, tourists are promised authentic and unique experiences, especially by turning the Faroe Islands’ “unspoiled” and “unexplored” nature and unpredictable weather into tourist commodities, which suggests that tourists seeking experiences “off the beaten track” may be especially targeted. The second study examines how tourism is challenged and accommodated in the Linguistic Landscape of locations with many tourists. Especially in rural locations, it is found that the local populations are both challenging and contesting tourism, while at the same time wanting to benefit economically from tourism, which highlights tourism’s paradoxical nature of being both beneficial and disruptive. Finally, the third study focuses on a Faroese tour guide and how she is navigating the unsustainable effects of tourism while being reliant on tourism as a source of income. It is argued that her position can be seen as highly ambiguous, as she, while participating in the industry, simultaneously tries to remedy and resist the industry’s negative effects.

Aside from being the first larger study dedicated to exploring the sociolinguistic aspects of tourism in the Faroe Islands, the dissertation moreover connects broadly used theoretical notions in sociolinguistics, such as authenticity, to a new sociolinguistic context. All in all, the Faroese tourism industry can be regarded as an example of how “smallness” serves as a valuable resource in tourism, where being “unexplored” and “authentic” resonate with the imaginaries of many tourists. However, the dissertation has also made evident the complexities, dichotomies, and paradoxes that are embedded parts of the tourism industry, where economic opportunities, national pride, and environmental degradation seem to become intertwined in the Faroe Islands.