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NEWSLETTER #5
Check out the fifth issue of the STARLIGHT Newsletter to find out more about the third and final STARLIGHT Summer School in Spain and the outputs of the STARLIGHT project!
Newsletter #5 – September 2024
NEWSLETTER #4
Check out the fourth issue of the STARLIGHT Newsletter to find out more about the STARLIGHT Spring School in Italy and the plans for the upcoming one in Spain!
The STARLIGHT Spring School
The STARLIGHT Spring School was held in Pragelato, Italy, from 15th to 19th April 2024
The second School of the STARLIGHT project was held in Pragelato, Italy, from 15th to 19th April 2024. During the week, the fourteen STARLIGHT participants, hosted by the two Italian partners of the project, i.e. GAL EVV and INAF, not only learned about experiential tourism and territorial marketing, but they also put into practice their theoretical knowledge through the creation of an Experience Box.
Indeed, after discovering the village of Pragelato and its surroundings, e.g. Usseaux, Pomaretto, and Fenestrelle, the STARLIGHT participants had the chance to meet with experts and local stakeholders in order to develop an Experience Box consisting of three tour packages specifically designed for the territory of the Chisone Valley.
In particular, the STARLIGHT participants, divided into three groups, created three tourism experiences deeply linked to the territory, namely In Search of the Dahu, a scavenger hunt through the streets of Pragelato and the towns nearby, Night & Natura, a guided hike to Pian dell’Alpe to rediscover our sense of belonging to nature through local myths and legends, and Daherbs, a guided walk in search of the wild edible herbs of the valley with a final stargazing session.
In the true spirit of the Erasmus+ STARLIGHT project, the three experience packages of the Dahu-themed Experience Box are not only meant to enhance the local territory, history, and legends, but also to attract tourists and to allow them to reconnect with nature, away from the chaos and the light pollution of the city.
On the last day of the STARLIGHT Spring School, the participants also had the chance to present their Experience Box at the final multiplier event, hosted by Confcooperative Piemonte and with the participation of Turismo Torino e Provincia, Infini.to – Planetarium of Turin, Museum of Astronomy and Space, and CTC Turismo Cooperativo. On this occasion, all of the materials designed by the STARLIGHT participants during the week, from reels to videos and playlists, were shown to the local stakeholders as part of the presentation of their experience packages.
NEWSLETTER #3
Check out the third issue of the STARLIGHT Newsletter to find out about the anniversary of the STARLIGHT webinars, the results of the STARLIGHT school in Bulgaria and the plans for the upcoming one in Italy!
NEWSLETTER #2 – Starlight participants fully engaged!
STARLIGHT participants have been fully engaged in the educational activities. Webinars have been completed and the first summer school has been held in Bulgaria.
Want to know what happened during the school, and learn about the subjects of the Webinars?
Read our October 2023 newsletter!
STARLIGHT Summer school in Razlog
Traveling for a Passion and Finding a Universe of Friends (Michele Di Francesco, Starlight participant)
From 25th to 29th of September the first Summer school within the Starlight project took place in Razlog, Bulgaria.
The summer school was hosted by the National Business Development Network which is the Bulgarian partner in the project. 14 participants from Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy and Spain took part in the school. During the 5 days of the school the participants learned about entrepreneurship, customer care and the possibilities for development of Astrotourism in Bulgaria and Europe as a whole with the aim of supporting them to build their own career.
The participants were divided into 3 teams and each team had to develop its own business model of embedding dark skies observations for tourism purposes. Experienced tutors from the University of Economics Varna, the Astronomy Institute to the Bulgarian Academy of science and the National Astronomy Observatory in Rozhen helped them along the way.
On the 28th of September a Multiplier event was held in Razlog, at which the Starlight project was presented to different stakeholders and where the 3 teams presented their business models.
Travel to the stars: Astrotourism
European group of experts visits the German Rhön star park
You don’t have to be a millionaire to travel to the stars, because star parks all over the world invite you to visit the stars and offer a nocturnal natural phenomenon that can be experienced particularly beautifully in the Rhön. Reason enough for a group of experts of the European project STARLIGHT to visit the Rhön within the framework of a professional excursion from August 28 – 30, 2023 and to exchange ideas with local experts. Central questions: How can stargazing be better used as a tourist trend to draw attention to the consequences of light pollution on the environment and biodiversity? What new career opportunities arise from astrotourism?
The starry sky has fascinated and influenced mankind throughout the ages, but in many urban regions this experience of nature is hardly possible anymore. Nocturnal light sources such as streetlights, building lighting, spotlights and billboards not only deny a view of the celestial bodies, but also have a negative impact on animals, plants and human health. Therefore, in order to experience a starry sky in all its glory, more and more people are visiting places that provide an unobstructed view of the celestial bodies and the Milky Way. Astrotourism is in the process of establishing itself as a trendy tourist topic.
STARLIGHT aims to raise awareness of the night sky
The European STARLIGHT project is dedicated to raising awareness about light pollution and providing information about the beauty of the night sky. In STARLIGHT, 92 thematically structured training units have been developed to qualify those interested in stargazing to develop tourist offers. This also includes qualification for astronomical guided tours and respectful interaction with nature. “The STARLIGHT program combines science-based education about the effects of light pollution with the acquisition of skills for tourist offers in the trendy topic of astrotourism,” says project manager Dr. Karin Drda-Kühn. She is the managing director of the non-profit institution “Kultur und Arbeit e.V.”, which was the only German partner to invite the European consortium to the Rhön. “There are already experiences in the Rhön that are exemplary throughout Europe,” says Drda-Kühn. In the exchange with tourism expert Silvia Hillenbrand from Rhön Tourism, the focus was on strategies in star tourism, target groups for tourism offers and the involvement of locals. Star Park coordinator Sabine Frank inspired the European team of experts with a storybook tour of information and empathetic persuasion for the topic.
NEWSLETTER – A beautiful starry sky in the future of tourism
STARLIGHT gets into full swing with the selection of 60 participants and the start of activities.
Curious to know all the news?
Want to know where the participants are from and how the first webinar went?
Read our April newsletter!
The First Webinar of the STARLIGHT Project
On 4th April 2023 the first webinar of the STARLIGHT project was held.
During the three-hour video conference, a team of international professionals discussed multiple topics related to light pollution, dark skies, and audience engagement.
Firstly, after Greti Manfreda (RDA)’s brief presentation of the agendas of the STARLIGHT webinars, Stefanie Suchy (TyEO) illustrated the importance of the nighttime from a scientific, philosophical, and cultural point of view, as well as the causes and effects of ALAN, i.e. artificial light at night.
Secondly, Sandra Jiménez (FCL) broadened the topic from a biological point of view. Indeed, she focused on the importance of the day-night cycle for different species and the effects of changes in the biorhythms of both animals and human beings due to artificial lighting.
Thirdly, Daniele Gardiol (INAF) showed, by means of the Stellarium software, how to plan a naked-eye observation of the night sky according to space and time constraints, the horizon, and the seasonality of constellations. Furthermore, he highlighted how the storytelling of myths and legends through stargazing can be the perfect medium to engage the audience.
Finally, Enrico Di Nola (INAF) provided a thorough analysis of the theory and practice of storytelling. By providing accurate definitions and examples across multiple media, such as literature, cinema and politics, he demonstrated the innate curiosity of human beings for stories. Moreover, he drew a clear distinction between telling a story and building an effective narrative in order to enable communication through narration.
The first STARLIGHT webinar ended with a group workshop activity and Carlos Fernández Martínez (FCL)’s presentation of the Picos de Europa National Park in Spain, where one of the three schools of the STARLIGHT project will be held.