Tourism Ireland has highlighted what it considers to be some of the "quirkiest greenings" among the sites, structures and attractions that are participating in its Global Greening initiative for St. Patrick's Day 2021.
The tourism marketing body stated, "What do a sauna on a city centre ferris wheel, a giant troll sculpture made from recycled wood and a Smurf statue have in common? They are just some of the more unusual participants in Tourism Ireland's Global Greening initiative for St Patrick's Day 2021.
"Perhaps the quirkiest of all of Tourism Ireland's Global Greenings this year is happening in Finland - the Tilted Sauna, also known as the 'Drunken Sauna', an abandoned sauna tilted on its side on Tampaja Lake, in southern Finland."
"Strength To Strength"
Tourism Ireland added, "Tourism Ireland's annual Global Greening initiative has gone from strength to strength - from its beginning back in 2010, when just the Sydney Opera House and the Sky Tower in Auckland went green, to this year, which will be the biggest ever Global Greening. Around 670 sites in 66 different countries are signed up to take part for 2021. From Rome to Rio and from London to Las Vegas, a host of famous buildings and sites around the world will be turning a shade of green [this week]."
Other "Quirky Greenings"
In addition to the Tilted Sauna, Tourism Ireland highlighted the following "quirky Greenings":
- Bjarke Cirkelsten in Denmark, which is a giant troll sculpture made from re-cycled wood, created by Copenhagen-based artist Thomas Dambo;
- a unique sauna cabin in the SkyWheel Helsinki where people can sweat and see the city sights at the same time;
- Jääsauna 52, which is the first ever ice sauna in Tampere, Finland, the 50 centimetre thick walls of which are made from the frozen water of local lakes and never melt, as the intense cold refreezes everything after use;
- a Volkswagen Beetle in the Volkswagen museum in Germany, which was built in Ireland in 1949;
- the Sekenani Gate, which is the main gate to the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya;
- a giant Kissing Couple XXXL statue located along the bicycle route between Amsterdam and Zaandam, the male of which is 8.6 metres high and the female of which is 8.1 metres high;
- a huge Smurf Statue in central Brussels;
- a solar power-generating structure in the shape of a giraffe that provides power for the community of Mangunze in Mozambique;
- "Mac the Moose" in the city of Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan, Canada, which is a 32 foot tall steel and concrete sculpture of a moose;
- a Sleeperoo pop-up sleeping cube, made from sustainable materials, in central Frankfurt, Germany;
- the Equator sign and line in Kayabwe, Uganda;
- Perlan in Reykjavík, which is a futuristic, revolving glass-domed restaurant on the top of Öskjuhlíð hill in the Icelandic capital;
- the Big Fiddle of the Ceilidh on Cape Breton Island in Canada, which is the world's largest fiddle;
- a carp statue called "Fridolin" in the town of Höchstadt an der Aisch in Bavaria;
- and Le Dragon de Calais, which is a dragon machine in Calais in northern France that can breathe fire, water and diffuse mist, and that weighs 72 tonnes and that is 25 metres long and 15 metres high.
Tourism Ireland CEO Statement
Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons stated, "This is the 12th year of Tourism Ireland's Global Greening initiative and it's bigger and better than ever this year, with some wonderful (and unusual!) new additions like the Tilted Sauna in Finland and a giant troll sculpture in Denmark! Although St. Patrick's Day will be very different this year, Tourism Ireland aims to capitalise on the heightened exposure for Ireland around the globe on 17 March, to ensure that Ireland remains 'top of mind' as a great holiday destination for bookings when the time is right."
© 2021 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
