See, run, jump Playing the role of virtual tourist in the Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands, a collection of 18 small islands located halfway between Iceland and Norway, is officially part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and is easily one most beautiful places correspondent Conor Knighton has ever been. He previously reported on a visit to the islands for "Sunday Morning," and was hoping to go back for a vacation this year. But obviously those plans have changed."We haven't had any tourists for the past seven or eight weeks, and it looks like it's going to be a very tough summer as well," said Levi Hanssen, the content & communications manager for the Faroese Tourism Bureau. When he first met Knighton back in 2017, Hanssen mentioned that it can sometimes be challenging to attract visitors to a place most tourists have never heard of: "We realize that we live in a very remote place. We sometimes have this feeling of being like, you know, David against Goliath."But Faroe Islands tourism has steadily been on the rise, and 2020 was set to be a record-breaking year. A scenic view of the Faroe Islands. CBS News"This was definitely going to be our busiest year," Hanssen said. "We have two new hotels opening up. Doesn't sound a lot, but in the Faroe Islands, that's doubling our capacity!"Those hotel reservations are all cancelled now. But, once COVID-19 completely shut down tourism, Hanssen and his team decided that they would serve as the eyes and ears of those who were forced to put their trips on hold. At remote-tourism.com, you can now guide the Faroese guides. They've equipped themselves with cameras and headsets and have been live-streaming hour-long walks. Every minute, a new person gets the chance to direct their movements from home. Can't make it to the North Atlantic archipelago? You can control live-streaming volunteers wearing video cameras and headsets as they traverse the Faroe Islands' stunning landscape. Faroese Tourism BureauPress forward on your app's control, and they move forward. Press left, they turn to the left. And when you press jump, they jump! Even if you don't get a chance to snag a minute at the controls, it's fun to watch no matter who is in charge. The guides have hopped onto boats, horses, and helicopters. Hanssen said, "It's a bit surreal, really, to know that you're being controlled by a person in a completely different country, many, many miles away."Go ahead, press "Jump"! Faroese Tourism BureauIf there's something you want to get a closer look at, a press of the button transmits a live instruction to the guide's earpiece. Knighton asked, "What's the percentage of helpful vs. messing-with-you? Have people just been making you jump and run left and right?""Yeah, we considered that a lot before we did this," said Hanssen. "Most people have been very helpful. But there have been a few cheeky people, that have asked us to run and jump a lot. But that's part of the fun. It's fine."Knighton was one of those "cheeky" people.

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See, run, jump Playing the role of virtual tourist in the Faroe Islands: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oid9RmzdhGs