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Finnish island offers visitors chance for "phone detox"

Visitors to Ulko-Tammio island will be asked to not use their smartphones this summer.

Two people standing on a rocky beach in Ulko-Tammio island
The Eastern Gulf of Finland boasts a 30-nautical-mile-wide national park, where the island of Ulko-Tammio is located. Image: Noora Palola / Yle
Yle News

This summer, visitors to Ulko-Tammio island, in the eastern Gulf of Finland, will be asked to voluntarily put their phones away during their stay.

A campaign by Visit Kotka-Hamina, the regional tourism office, aims to encourage people to take a break from social media and turn their gaze towards nature instead.

Finland's wildlife agency Metsähallitus is also behind the project.

"Ulko-Tammio is part of a national park, which is why it is well suited for a phone detox. For this reason, Metsähallitus was also enthusiastic about the project," the agency's communications partner Essi Orama said.

Signs around the island will encourage tourists to put their phones away. Mobile networks still work normally there, and people will still be able to use their devices if needed.

The initiative aims to inspire people to think more about the amount of time they spend hovered over their devices, both on the island and when they return home.

"We hope that many people will join. Summer is a good time to put your devices on holiday mode for a while and enjoy the archipelago, the Finnish summer and time together with family and friends," Orama told Yle.

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