Passion of the people – 1.6.8
Training and upskilling for star tourism: digital and territorial marketing, business planning, entrepreneurship, and career guidance
The promotion of dark sky tourism is great and follows important new trends (e.g. sustainable and responsible tourism, proximity tourism, quality and health safety). However, it must be done in the right way.
Firstly, it is important to consider what has already been done, whether there are similar experiences in the area where one lives or in other areas. Secondly, it is necessary to surf the internet to discover examples of good practice and communication strategies. A great idea may be to experiment directly with tourism packages that are already active. A next step can be to understand which experiences are usable in the area where one lives.
It is important to observe that tourists’ perception of the skies is influenced by films and their laptop screensaver images. Even with a good telescope, their experience is likely to be disappointing. Two aspects are crucial:
- Experience design
- A good guide
The tourist experience should be pleasant and fun.
In addition to these important activities, it is essential to understand how to present your proposal in the right way to local actors and subsequently to the tourists themselves.
It is important to create synergies with the former and it is also necessary to create an attractive proposal for the latter.
Moreover, it is crucial to understand well who our target audience is, to adapt to a different types of customers, to be flexible in our offers (e.g. if the weather is cloudy) and to combine dark sky observation with other activities (e.g. local products taste, hiking, sailing, etc.). The presence of specialized equipment and specific sites for sky observation is a plus for the satisfaction of tourists.
“Every tourist experience – or every experience for that matter – has certain structural elements in common. Understanding what they consist of, how they operate and how they are related to each other can be very helpful in guiding the design process”.
Further resources
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Videos
On line resources
Strategic Plan for Astrotourism – Astrotourism Western Australia
Further readings
Teaching Materials
For Kids