Tourism is responsible for the growth of the local economy, which in turn provides employment opportunity to the local residents and give a boost to the place in terms of infrastructure development. Astrostays are one such concept to promote travellers to visit the rural place to stargaze. Established in 2019, Astrostays first came up in Maan village in Ladakh and in almost a few months, it attracted more than 350 guests. While tourists stay with members of a particular community, they get to learn about the local cultural heritage, sustainable living and eco-tourism. Till date, Ladakh’s Astrostay has witnessed more than 600 tourists, bringing in over $25,000 in revenue to villages whose residents have opened their homes. As Astrostays is owned and run by the local communities, the money invested by tourists gets reinvested in local infrastructure. Lieutenant Governor of UT of Ladakh – R.K Mathur, in one of his addresses in 2021 discussed science-based tourism and suggested making Astro-Tourism a flagship tourism product of Ladakh based on its geography.
Earlier this year, Rajasthan became the first Indian state to announce the introduction of night sky Astro Tourism in all of its 33 districts. The pink city of the state – Jaipur, alone has four famous star gazing venues including Jantar-Mantar, Amber Fort, University of Maharaja and Jawahar Kala Kendra. Rajasthan’s Department of Science and Technology has also stated that Bikaner House in New Delhi has been chosen as a spot to promote Astro-Tourism and therefore, a telescope will be installed for skywatching.
Ministry of Tourism has taken the initiative to discuss and explore ‘Nature-based tourism’ during the ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ Webinar series. Concerted efforts are being put into tapping the growing potential of Astro-Tourism in India. States that hold the immense beauty of the night sky and minimal light pollution are planning to explore this area. For example, Benital Village, located 2,600 metres above sea level in the Chamoli district in Uttrakhand, is planning to turn into an Astro village. An Astro park is in the works in Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, whereas in Jaipur, the State Department of Art and Culture introduced a Night Sky Tourism project after the first wave of COVID-19, to encourage visitors to look up through the telescopes set up at Jawahar Kala Kendra and Jantar Mantar. Ladakh administration also took initiatives to promote Astro-tourism in Hanle village, by collaborating with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics.
The Karnataka Tourism Policy (2020-25) mentions Science Tourism as an aspect along with other types including cultural, shopping, sports, spiritual, wellness etc. The northern state of Uttrakhand is also witnessing a change of taste in terms of tourism. Nainital’s tourism department is gearing the development and planning process for the projects in the villages of Takula and Devasthal. Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) has been roped in to look after the technical aspect of the project.
These initiatives highlight that we have come a long way. In 2017, it was touted that around 7 million people travelled across the U.S. to witness the Total Solar Eclipse. The tourism industry, at that time, was not ready for such an overwhelming response on the heels of tourism based on science. Since then, many countries, and communities are using astronomy to bring tourism to their region.
Astro-Tourism is not just responsible to draw a parallel between experiential and eco-tourism but will also promote a sustainable form of travel that has immense potential to bring positive, social, economic and conservative benefits to remote communities and areas.
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