astrotourism Archives - IAU Office of Astronomy for Development https://astro4dev.org/category/astrotourism/ Astronomy for a better world! Mon, 21 Jul 2025 14:54:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://astro4dev.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cropped-03_OAD_symbol_colour_2-32x32.jpg astrotourism Archives - IAU Office of Astronomy for Development https://astro4dev.org/category/astrotourism/ 32 32 OAD Participation at the IAU Symposium on Indigenous Astronomy in the Space Age https://astro4dev.org/oad-participation-at-the-iau-symposium-on-indigenous-astronomy-in-the-space-age/ Mon, 21 Jul 2025 14:54:23 +0000 https://astro4dev.org/?p=30171 The International Astronomical Union’s Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) participated in the ongoing IAU Symposium on Indigenous Astronomy in the Space Age, highlighting the role of astronomy in sustainable development through astrotourism initiatives. Dr. Joyful Mdhluli delivered a presentation on the OAD’s Astrotourism flagship project, outlining how astrotourism serves as a catalyst for local [...]

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]]> OAD attends National Astro-Tourism Stakeholder Workshop in South Africa https://astro4dev.org/oad-attends-national-astro-tourism-stakeholder-workshop-in-south-africa/ Tue, 22 Apr 2025 11:04:51 +0000 https://astro4dev.org/?p=29973 Members of the OAD team participated in the National Astro-Tourism Broader Stakeholder Workshop held on 2–3 April 2025 in Carnarvon, Northern Cape, South Africa. Hosted by the Department of Tourism and the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, the workshop focused on the implementation of South Africa’s Astro-Tourism Strategy. The two-day event brought together stakeholders [...]

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]]> Culture, Astronomy, and Community. A conversation with a Social Anthropologist https://astro4dev.org/culture-astronomy-and-community-a-conversation-with-a-social-anthropologist/ Fri, 11 Apr 2025 15:17:34 +0000 https://astro4dev.org/?p=29909 For the April edition of the Full Moon Mashup series, we had a deeply reflective session on Culture, Astronomy, and Community with Dr. Hanna Nieber, a social anthropologist. Dr Nieber is and Anthropologist from the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology and visited the OAD for 3 weeks. Dr. Nieber, whose ethnographic research explores how [...]

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]]> DarkSky International’s Principles for Responsible Astrotourism https://astro4dev.org/darksky-internationals-principles-for-responsible-astrotourism/ Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:07:20 +0000 https://astro4dev.org/?p=29239 As the astrotourism and dark sky tourism sectors grow globally, there is a strong need to advocate for responsible tourism that both protects the environment and prioritises sustainability. Drawing from the unique contexts of night sky tourism and lessons learned from the broader tourism sector, DarkSky International has released a new set of guiding principles [...]

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]]> Astrotourism Initiatives Survey https://astro4dev.org/astrotourism-initiatives-survey/ Mon, 14 Oct 2024 04:31:50 +0000 https://astro4dev.org/?p=29002 At the IAU-OAD we are exploring ways to use astronomy for sustainable socioeconomic development. Astrotourism, or tourism activities involving the night sky, have the potential to generate economic benefits in a way that both contribute to sustainable development and protect the natural resource of dark skies. Our Astrotourism flagship directly links astronomy and tourism, harnessing its potential [...]

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]]> Astrotourism Resources https://astro4dev.org/astrotourism-resources/ Wed, 24 Jul 2024 08:49:10 +0000 https://astro4dev.org/?p=28799 Astrotourism for Socioeconomic Development Traditionally, astrotourism has been a niche pursuit, centered around scientific exploration and specialized equipment. However, this narrow focus has limited its potential to drive socioeconomic development in rural communities. Our approach is a radical departure from the norm. We believe that by reimagining astrotourism as an extension of ecotourism and cultural [...]

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]]> OAD at Communicating Astronomy with the Public Conference (CAP2024) https://astro4dev.org/oad-at-communicating-astronomy-with-the-public-conference-cap2024/ Fri, 05 Jul 2024 11:30:38 +0000 https://astro4dev.org/?p=30079 The OAD team participated in the 2024 Communicating Astronomy with the Public Conference (CAP2024), with four abstracts accepted. The submissions included one oral presentation, a 60-minute workshop, and two posters. Flagship Coordinator Dr. Joyful Mdhluli attended in person, while OAD Fellows Dominic Vertue and Samyukta Manikumar participated virtually. Dr. Joyful Mdhluli, on behalf of the [...]

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]]> How to Start an Astrotourism Business https://astro4dev.org/how-to-start-an-astrotourism-business/ Thu, 15 Jun 2023 09:56:57 +0000 https://astro4dev.org/?p=27866 OAD Fellow Samyukta has written a brief article in the African Science Stars magazine on some factors to consider before starting up an astrotourism business. The special edition of the magazine is focused on astrotourism and its potential in Africa.  Astrotourism falls under the OAD’s Flagship on ‘Sustainable, local socio-economic development through Astronomy’. So far, [...]

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]]> Strengthening Connections Between Astronomy Observatory and Businesses https://astro4dev.org/strengthening-connections-between-astronomy-observatory-and-businesses/ Fri, 19 May 2023 10:05:53 +0000 https://astro4dev.org/?p=27760 The aim of this project was to better integrate astronomy into tourism endeavors happening on the island of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands to provide value added to existing businesses while providing a pipeline for students interested in the intersections between tourism and astronomy into these businesses as interns. Unfortunately, we discovered that [...]

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]]> Overview: Langkawians Guide Malaysians to the Stars https://astro4dev.org/overview-langkawians-guide-malaysians-to-the-stars/ Tue, 10 Jan 2023 09:51:56 +0000 https://astro4dev.org/?p=26607 Langkawi Island is Malaysia’s top tourist attraction but it was hit hard by the pandemic crisis. Even though the sector is recovering, many tourist guides are still struggling with financial stress. During the pandemic, they are not able to renew their tour guide badges due to money shortage while during post-pandemic, there are not sufficient [...]

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