“Inspired by Iceland”, the promotional project of Visit Iceland (an official destination marketing office for Iceland), has come up with a new idea to endear potential tourists to the island with a promise of helping them release their built up stress from the past months.
Not via hiking tours or trips to the Blue Lagoon. That’s been on the entertainment list for tourists for years now.
No, this time they suggest literally screaming your lungs out into the vastness of the Icelandic landscape.
The idea for the so called “Let it Out” campaign draws inspiration from psychological theories about the stress-relieving affects of screaming. On their website it says:
“Part of the beneficial effect of screaming comes from being able to make a loud noise into a wide, open, undisturbed space. This literally allows your amygdala to release the stress stored there and move forward.”
There’s even a three step guide that instructs you on how to get the most effective scream out.
Although you are not specifically taken to vast locations where you can take a deep breath of fresh Icelandic air before releasing a mighty war cry of angst. Instead, “Inspired by Iceland” has set up several yellow speaker boxes in fairly remote locations where the screams are played once you’ve recorded and uploaded them from wherever.
According to a report by Fréttablaðið, the idea is to draw the attention of prospective tourists to the fact that it is safe to travel to Iceland where it is possible to enjoy beautiful nature in small numbers.
Sigríður Dögg Guðmundsdóttir, director of tourism at Íslandsstofa, is also reported to have said: “Icelanders do not have to fear, that the frustration of foreigners will damage their summer holidays, as the volume is set in moderation.”
Seven speakers will be delivering the screams in Iceland at a location of people’s choosing. The speakers are located in Viðey in Reykjavík, Festarfjall by Grindavík, in the vicinity of Skógafoss, close to Djúpivogur, at the foot of Snæfellsjökull, by Kálfshamarsvík and by Rauðasandur in the Westfjords. Users also get a video recording of their screams. Some of those are already uploaded on the “Inspired by Iceland” website.
Fair warning: the live ones also get played while you’re on the website so either turn the volume off while you’re there or prepare yourself to hear the anguish of other stressed out individuals.
The project will last for the next two weeks and has supposedly already been well received. Sigríður Dögg tells Fréttablaðið that people do not have to worry about their screams being overwhelmed by the screams of others. “If several people record screams at the same time, they go in a row and play according to when they came in.” Just to make sure all the screams are heard.
It remains to be seen how much longer the “wide, open, undisturbed” places will remain undisturbed. But what’s a little bit of noise pollution to the potential of garnering the attention of more tourists.
You can watch the promotional video here or below.
Note: Due to the effect the Coronavirus is having on tourism in Iceland, it’s become increasingly difficult for the Grapevine to survive. If you enjoy our content and want to help the Grapevine’s journalists do things like eat and pay rent, please consider joining our High Five Club.
You can also check out our shop, loaded with books, apparel and other cool merch, that you can buy and have delivered right to your door.
Buy subscriptions, t-shirts and more from our shop right here!
