Passion of the people – 1.6.10
Star tourism as the perfect offer in times of a pandemic
In the past few years of pandemic, there have been times when the world has felt quite small, limited by the four walls of our homes. Staying home, something enormously beautiful was ‘born’ from the darkest nights. Indeed, during these last few years lots of people started enjoying the stargazing experience from their gardens and even their windows. Now that we can travel again, star tourism and stargazing, including visits to planetariums and observatories, have turned out to be some of the biggest tourism trends.
Star tourism is socially distanced, eco-friendly, and it can be done anywhere in the world. Certainly, it should be practiced in the great outdoors where the light pollution of our cities does not obscure the stars.
To create a stargazing tourist offer, first and foremost, you will need to find a place of interest where your tourists will be able to see a clear dark sky. You will have to choose the accommodation, the means of travel, the catering, and some additional services, if needed – parking, tourist entertainment, etc. Then, the weather should be taken into account in order to choose the best possible dates of visit.
A great example of promoting and supporting the organization of stargazing tours is the initiative Astrotourism.com – from an idea of Astronomitaly – a team that consists of an astrobiophysicist, a travel and tourism consultant, a business developer, a communication manager, and a sales support. Astrotourism.com is an advanced directory portal to find, discover and submit Astrotourism places and experiences.
On the Astrotourism.com website, you can find observatories, planetariums, natural and national parks, and anything else that is crucial for organizing stargazing tours, such as accommodations, villages and additional services. The website’s interactive map will take you wherever you decide to go, it will suggest accommodations that offer the following services and activities: breakfast, dinner, parking, restaurant, swimming pool, hiking, and stargazing activities. The website is in Italian and most of the suggested sites are in Italy, but you can easily turn the Google translation on. It is a website worth visiting because it is a wonderful example of best practice in online offers for stargazing tours.
Dave Eagle, founder of Star-gazing.com.uk, created some quite exhaustive lists of astronomy holidays around the globe.
United Kingdom
Go Stargazing shows locations of “public stargazing events in the UK” where you can go stargazing. Many events are free of charge or just require a small donation; however, they are all accessible to the public and involve some form of stargazing, weather permitting.
Astro Adventures, located in North Devon, is a comfortable and “private self-catering family accommodation” – two timber lodges set in attractive grounds with an outdoor swimming pool. “To cater for your interests in astronomy”, they offer “a large 20″ (50cm) Dobsonian telescope and a dedicated imaging observatory with a 10″ (25cm) telescope for you to use under some of the darkest skies in England.”
AstroVentures is “a team of professional astronomers” who formed a social enterprise based in Northumberland and that “runs public stargazing events across the UK.” They offer stargazing sessions, astrophotography workshops, and astronomy activities to suit anyone from the absolute beginner to the professional. Bespoke individual stargazing sessions are also available and AstroVentures regularly offers workshops to schools, guides, and scouts in the region.
Europe
Astrofarm is a residential centre situated in Confolens, in the Charente region in the South West of France, alongside a national park with dark skies. They offer stunning views, great weather and a taste of French life.
Centro de Observação Astronómica no Algarve (COAA), located in Algarve in Portugal, offers views and tours through observatories and telescopes that can be organized for a fee.
Dark Skies Tenerife organizes stargazing tours in Tenerife up in the mountains to observe the very dark skies of Parque nacional del Teide.
Sun Star France, located in Les Granges, France, is a traditional Provence-style farmhouse up for rent with available astronomical telescopes and imaging equipment.
United States
Arizona Sky Village is a holiday resort set up by the renowned astrophotographer Jack Newton and actively maintaining their nice dark skies in Arizona. Both accommodation and telescopes are available for rent.
The resources mentioned above will give you a broad perspective of star tourism and stargazing tourist offers worldwide.
Further resources
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Videos
Components Of Tourism | Learn More About The Structure of the Travel and Tourism Industry – Dr Hayley Stainton
Podere la Doccia – “I cieli più belli d’Italia” || Best Astrotourism Destination Italy – Astronomitaly
Astrotrekking: Wild Astrotourism Experience – Astronomitaly
GUIDA GALATTICA PER ASTROTURISTI – SIGLA DI APERTURA – Astronomitaly
On line resources
Tourists’ Preferences for Stargazing Land Resources
Step-by-step astrophotography guides by Dave Eagle
Further readings
Teaching Materials
For Kids