Speaker
Description
Astrotourism offers an opportunity for Zambia to diversify its tourism sector and strengthen its position within the regional science, adventure and cultural tourism market. In this project we carried out an objective geographical survey to identify the best locations to develop the astrotourism industry. We considered the following aspects in our spatial analysis: light pollution(VIIRS data), average cloud cover per month, safety, tourism and scientific support infrastructure and availability of local starlore of interest to tourists. Data from space-based remote sensing, traditional mapping, desktop research and some interviews were combined to generate a map of suitable locations. The aim is to present this in an online clickable form for use by tour operators and potential tourists.
Our analysis produced a suitability map revealing that Zambia possesses extensive regions with excellent dark-sky conditions. The results also highlight potential for community development projects, as some sites are away from major tourist attractions and could boost economic development in under-resourced areas. In comparison with other countries in Africa, we find Zambia ranks among the best Astrotourism destinations, particularly when safety is an important factor. This potential also presents a novel pathway for sustainable tourism diversification.
| Stream | Education, Development and Outreach |
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