Known for its endless wilderness, geothermal lagoons and rugged beauty, Iceland also has something of a reputation for its quirky sense of humour. And the nation’s tourism board is making use of that in a new campaign that introduces people to "The Icelandverse" in a spoof take on Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse.
In the Iceland Tourism video, viewers are welcomed by a black sweater-wearing host called Zack Mossbergsson who says: “Today, I want to talk about a revolutionary approach on how to connect our world without being super weird.”
Following Zuckerberg’s often robotic-like public speaking skills, Mossbergsson directs viewers to look at a pristine snow-covered landscape visible in the window behind him and asks, “What do we call this not so new chapter in human connectivity? The Icelandverse.”
“Enhanced actual reality without silly-looking headsets,” he says.
The campaign video continues to mimic Zuckerberg and some of his peculiar traits such as not being able to open the door, which supposedly references the Facebook billionaire waiting for people to open doors for him; and overdoing it on sunscreen as he dips in a geothermal pool where he meets “a human”.
Showcasing many of the country’s incredible landscapes and rushing waterfalls, the advert’s takeaway message is how great "The Icelandverse" is, mostly because it’s a real destination with “water that is wet” and “horses you can ride, with hair you can touch.”
Facebook rebranded as Meta in October in an effort to focus attention on the social media giant’s $50 million digital space, the Metaverse.
And while the country's new tourism campaign is a comical take on Zuckerberg's news, it’s also a way for Iceland to boost its tourism numbers now that Covid-19 related travel restrictions are easing and the world’s vaccination rates are ramping up.
The country had about two million visitors in 2019 before the global pandemic hit. This year, it is on track to meet its greatly reduced target of 700,000 tourists, a figure that's already been boosted thanks to Iceland being one of the first destinations to reopen its borders to vaccinated travellers from most countries.
Lonely Planet recently named the country’s Westfjords as the number one region to visit in 2022. The travel publication's experts lauded the far northern region’s “coast-hugging roads … quaint villages, spectacular landscapes, epic Icelandic history and an abundance of wildlife”.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
RESULT
Norway 1 Spain 1
Norway: King (90 4')
Spain: Niguez (47')
The five pillars of Islam
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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