Administrators at most destinations yearn to have them go viral on TikTok, or dream of attracting droves of Netflix Inc viewers, despite the risk of overwhelming communities. A small island off the southeastern coast of Finland is taking the opposite approach.
Tourism officials for Ulko-Tammio, one of several islands inside Eastern Gulf of Finland National Park, say they want it to be a “phone-free island” and are urging visitors to “switch off their smart devices and to stop and genuinely enjoy the islands,” said Mats Selin, an expert with Visit Kotka-Hamina, in a release.
The sentiment is echoed by Parks & Wildlife Finland, which manages the island’s pristine environment and wildlife.
Photo: Reuters
“We encourage visitors to put their phones away voluntarily and to focus their senses on nature rather than on their phones,” said outdoor recreation and visitor manager Joel Heino, in a statement.
On the travel side, booking a digital-free vacation in a tropical locale is a growing trend that even corporate executives are resorting to, and digital detox retreat options have long existed for those choosing to pull their noses out of phones on trips. But it’s not the norm for an industry that relies on influencers and breathtaking visuals on social media to attract visitors or convey a sense of place.
To wit: Some 63 percent of millennials and younger travelers say they’ve used at least one social media platform to plan trips in the past 12 months, according to a sentiment survey of American travelers last month from Destination Analysts. Besides, does your vacation really happen if you don’t post about all the fun you’re having there?
Attempts to get consumers to ditch their phones have increased over the years, particularly in the entertainment business.
Electronic dance music artist Lane 8 is famous for his phone-free concerts, and it’s brought bigger crowds for his live shows. Dave Chappelle and Alicia Keys were among the earliest adopters to ban phones at performances through use of the Yondr pouch, dating back to 2015: Pop your iPhone in a gray and lime-green pouch that seals as soon as you close it; you can carry it around, but you won’t be able to snap it open until you reach an unlocking station as you exit the event.
San Francisco-based Yondr’s locking phone cases are now used in select courthouses, theaters, restaurants and schools in the US that are looking to limit the use of devices.
In January, Thermae Bath Spa, located in historic Bath, England, announced it was becoming a mobile-free zone and would partner with Yondr. The public thermal day spa noted in a release that phones were “a regular source of annoyance” to guests, as well as “a problem for our staff who have to recover dropped phones from the bottom of pools.”
Yondr’s last public data release cited an estimated 1 million customers using its pouches in March last year; the company said it was unable to share more recent data. Questions as to whether the pouch’s effectiveness arose after it was used for the Broadway show Take Me Out, and leaked footage and images of a naked Jesse Williams on stage nonetheless appeared on social media.
There will be no Yondr pouches on Finland’s Ulko-Tammio island. But amid growing proof that social media is addictive and can impair mental health, perhaps more travelers are ready to ditch their phones in the great outdoors. It’s nice to think that a nudge will suffice.
If not, you can use a digital camera to get great photos, though you won’t be able to post them while on the island.
Feb. 17 to Feb. 23 “Japanese city is bombed,” screamed the banner in bold capital letters spanning the front page of the US daily New Castle News on Feb. 24, 1938. This was big news across the globe, as Japan had not been bombarded since Western forces attacked Shimonoseki in 1864. “Numerous Japanese citizens were killed and injured today when eight Chinese planes bombed Taihoku, capital of Formosa, and other nearby cities in the first Chinese air raid anywhere in the Japanese empire,” the subhead clarified. The target was the Matsuyama Airfield (today’s Songshan Airport in Taipei), which
On Jan. 17, Beijing announced that it would allow residents of Shanghai and Fujian Province to visit Taiwan. The two sides are still working out the details. President William Lai (賴清德) has been promoting cross-strait tourism, perhaps to soften the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) attitudes, perhaps as a sop to international and local opinion leaders. Likely the latter, since many observers understand that the twin drivers of cross-strait tourism — the belief that Chinese tourists will bring money into Taiwan, and the belief that tourism will create better relations — are both false. CHINESE TOURISM PIPE DREAM Back in July
Could Taiwan’s democracy be at risk? There is a lot of apocalyptic commentary right now suggesting that this is the case, but it is always a conspiracy by the other guys — our side is firmly on the side of protecting democracy and always has been, unlike them! The situation is nowhere near that bleak — yet. The concern is that the power struggle between the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and their now effectively pan-blue allies the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) intensifies to the point where democratic functions start to break down. Both
This was not supposed to be an election year. The local media is billing it as the “2025 great recall era” (2025大罷免時代) or the “2025 great recall wave” (2025大罷免潮), with many now just shortening it to “great recall.” As of this writing the number of campaigns that have submitted the requisite one percent of eligible voters signatures in legislative districts is 51 — 35 targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus lawmakers and 16 targeting Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. The pan-green side has more as they started earlier. Many recall campaigns are billing themselves as “Winter Bluebirds” after the “Bluebird Action”
RSS