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STARLIGHT meets the European Commission and Euromontana

Meetings, Schools

On 12th and 13th December 2024, in Bruxelles, a delegation of the STARLIGHT project had fruitful meetings with representatives of the European Commission and Euromontana (European Association of Mountain Areas)

Great experience during our last (online and onsite) Starlight project meeting in Brussels at the Cantabrian Representation: On 12th December we presented the Starlight project results to Mrs Maria-Christina Makrandreou and Mr Gonzalo Hernando from the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) of the European Commission. We handed over the “Call for Action” as an outcome of the Spanish Summer School where the Starlight project participants called for more opportunities top work together in formats like the Summer Schools for rural development. Special thanks to Maria-Christina and Gonzalo for their great advice and engagement.

On 13th December we met Mrs Blandine Camus from Euromontana, the European multi-stakeholder network for sustainable development and quality of life in the mountains. We presented to her the final results of the Starlight project including opportunities coming from astrotourism and discussed several opportunities arising from the results. We handed over to her the “Call for Action” from the Spanish Summer School. Thank you, Blandine, for your ideas including your offer to spread our results to the network members and all your inspiration for future projects!

Left to right: Carlos Fernández Martínez (Fundacion Camino Lebaniego), Johanna Leissner (Kultur und Arbeit e. V.), Daniele Gardiol INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino , Maria-Christina Makrandreou (DG AGRI), Gonzalo Hernandez (DG AGRI), Karin Drda-Kühn (Kultur und Arbeit e. V.).
Left to right: Carlos Fernández Martínez (Fundacion Camino Lebaniego), Daniele Gardiol INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino, Blandine Camus (Euromontana), Karin Drda-Kühn (Kultur und Arbeit e. V.).

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The STARLIGHT Spring School

Schools

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.

The STARLIGHT Spring School_Press Release

STARLIGHT Summer school in Razlog

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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 school participants and the Starlight mentors together after defining the team groups

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.

Starlight participants are working hard on their business models!
Wainting for stargazing activity at night
More night activities…. related to local culture!
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Travel to the stars: Astrotourism

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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. 

The European STARLIGHT team with Rhön Tourism Manager Silvia Hillenbrand (third from right)

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.

Attractive product presentation in the tourist info in Wildflecken-Oberbach
Pleasant meeting of the STARLIGHT team in the “Sonnentau” – hotel in Fladungen
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