Capacity Building Training of Dark Sky and Astro-Tourism (CBT-DA)

Introduction

Dark skies and astronomical heritage play a pivotal role in fostering Astro-tourism, contributing to social and sustainable economic development, and are crucial for observational astronomy and scientific advancement. Africa boasts a vast cultural and astronomical heritage, along with unexplored dark skies that can significantly contribute to the continent’s economic development. Preserving the night sky and investing in Astro-tourism are key components for economic diversification, presenting a novel approach to Africa’s growth and its contribution to GDP.

The IAU356 symposium on “Dark Sky and Astronomical Heritage in Boosting Astro-tourism Around the World” is scheduled to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2023. The symposium will focus on leveraging Astro-tourism and dark skies for sustainability by promoting economic development in the sector. In conjunction with the international meeting, the Capacity Building Training on Dark Sky and Astro-tourism (CBT-DA), focusing on Africa, will precede the symposium. The training aims to raise awareness, disseminate astronomical heritage, develop skills in the conservation and use of dark skies for Astro-tourism, conduct scientific research on light pollution, enhance the dark sky in the tourism sector, promote the digital economy through Astro-tourism for sustainable development, and facilitate roundtable discussions.

The training primarily targets the scientific communities involved in astronomy and space science, stakeholders in the Astro-tourism and tourism industry (including tour guides, culture and tourism office workers, and tour business owners), and decision-makers and policymakers among governmental officials in Ethiopia.

The theme of the Capacity building is ‘Introducing Asto-tourism as New Products in the Tourism Industry and Promoting Digital Tourism for Sustainable Development’

Objectives of the Training

1. To increase awareness about dark skies and Astro-tourism among stakeholders in the scientific community, tour and travel, and government policy and legislation.
2. To build the capacity and skills of trainees in conserving dark skies and astronomical heritages for better utilization in the Astro-tourism sector for socio-economic development.
3. To share experiences and discuss recent progress on the development of Astro-tourism practices and dark sky reserves in Ethiopia and Africa from regional and country-level perspectives.
4. To increase stakeholder engagement in dark sky and Astro-tourism sectors for economic diversification and as part of the tourism industry.
5. To introduce Astro-tourism as new products in the tourism industry.
6. To promote the digital economy through digital planetariums and Astro-tourism for sustainable development.

The CBT-DA will focus on creating awareness of dark skies and astronomical heritage, developing skills in the conservation and use of dark skies for Astro-tourism, scientific research, and measurement of light pollution, sharing experiences and practices on Increasing Local Community and Society Engagement-Economic Benefits, Economic Diversification, and Sustainable Development.

Program Content

• Basic Concept of Astro-Tourism and Dark Sky
• Communicating Astro-tourism & Dark Sky to the Public
• Social and Economic Benefits of Astro-Tourism
• Astro-photography and Tourism
• Light Pollution and its Effects
• Hands-on Training: Telescopes Use and Night Sky Observations
• Astro-tourism as New Products in the Tourism Industry
• Digital Economy through Astro-tourism for Sustainable Development

 Organizers:

The CBT-DA is organized by Space science and Geospatial Institute (SSGI) in collaboration with Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MiNT), Ministry of Tourism (MOT) and Ethiopian Space Science Society (ESSS), East Africa Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (EA-ROAD) and African Astronomical Society (AfAS)

Registration deadline Closed