Opportunities in Dark Sky Ecotourism

This Dark Sky Ecotourism (DSE) project was developed as an innovative vocational education project for rural European tourism businesses. We have addressed the needs of: TG1 VET (and HE) TOURISM E...

DARK SKY ECOTOURISM’s primary objective was to provide accessible learning resources to enable VET educators (TG1), rural tourism SMEs (TG2), and wider tourism stakeholders (TG3/TG4) to engage with and develop Dark Sky Ecotourism in rural communities around Europe. In doing so this project wanted to: - Adapt vocational education and training to labour market needs, the European Tourism sector has been crippled by Covid19 and new/innovative approaches are needed to rebuild, reboot and refocus for the future - Help remote/rural market-responsive and dynamic regional tourism economies to emerge on the footing of Dark Sky Ecotourism - Increase the sustainability and resilience of the future European Tourism Economy – Facilitate a more equitable share of Europe’s future post pandemic tourism opportunities - Rejuvenate rural, remote European economies and position them in a better way for further sustainable development and innovation now and in the future. At its core, the project sought to provide accessible learning resources, enabling vocational education and training (VET) educators, rural tourism SMEs and wider tourism stakeholders to effectively engage with and foster the development of Dark Sky Ecotourism within communities.

DARK SKY ECOTOURISM has developed the first systematic dark sky ecotourism training programme of its kind for rural/remote tourism enterprises. The project activities led to the launch of four primary Project Results (PRs) alongside essential horizontal activities crucial for successful execution. Activity - Management tasks as per Project Management Handbook Transversal activities - Dissemination., evaluation and sustainability 4 partner meetings, multiplier events, user testing sessions, and the quality management and monitoring of project results. Project result activities. A collaborative framework ensured that all partners contributed across all facets of the project. This collaboration led to the development Dark Sky Ecotourism Guide (89 page) which provides a guide for tourism businesses, education providers, including our partners, as well as for tourism ecosystems and wider stakeholders. The objective of the Guide is to introduce the concept of Dark Sky Ecotourism and the opportunities it presents, 15 tourism business case studies, 5 regional best practices and alignment to national policies in Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Denmark The Dark Sky Audit and Ecotourism Assessment Tool was designed to achieve widespread use and impact. It included a set of two online, Ecotourism checklists, which enables our users to evaluate their location and capacity and self-assess if they are well positioned both in terms of location and current skills levels to become dark sky ecotourism promoters. Dark Sky Ecotourism’s VET Programme focused on how to create new/alternative dark sky ecotourism products, services and destinations which play to geographical strengths and make best/most environmentally friendly use of natural resources. App that provide rural/remote tourism business owners wider communities, individuals, and European tourists with informal bite sized learning opportunities on topics related to dark skies such as astronomy, light pollution, ecotourism, rural/remote life on Europe, natural tourism, night tours, nocturnal safaris and much more. Each PR outcome was translated into the partners languages, i.e. Portuguese, Italian and Icelandic.

The tangible outcomes of the project included: PR1: The Dark Sky Ecotourism Guide involved 60 VET educators in the research and review phase, ensuring a broad base of knowledge and insights. PR2: The Dark Sky Audit and EcoTourism Assessment Tool engaged both 60 VET educators and 120 remote/rural tourism business owners (existing and prospective) in its testing, highlighting a dual focus on education and practical application in the field. PR3: The VET Programme for Developing Dark Sky Ecotourism Products, Services, and Destinations also involved 60 VET educators and 120 remote/rural tourism business owners (existing and prospective) in testing, underscoring the project's commitment to enhancing vocational training and business practices. PR4: The Europe Dark Sky Ecotourism App had 60 remote/rural tourism business owners (existing and prospective) test the application, showcasing the project's dedication to leveraging digital solutions for broader engagement and impact. Through these meticulously planned and executed activities, the project aimed to create a significant impact on the promotion and development of dark sky ecotourism, fostering socio-economic growth and sustainability in remote and rural tourism sectors across Europe. Our aimed for and reached the following specific objectives of the project: PR1: The creation in English and translation into Icelandic, Italian and Portuguese of a Dark Sky Ecotourism Guide, that used narrative text, examples and case studies to introduce tourism businesses, education providers, as well as the wider tourism ecosystem and wider stakeholders to the concept of Dark Sky Ecotourism and its ability to transform regional tourism economies. 786 downloads achieved. PR2: Dark Sky Audit and Ecotourism Assessment Tool created in English and translated into Icelandic, Italian and Portuguese as an online, interactive diagnostic tools which enabled users to evaluate their location and capacity and self-assess if they are well positioned both in terms of location and current skills levels to become dark sky ecotourism promoters. 852 total users PR3: VET programme created in English and translated into Icelandic, Italian and Portuguese as a set of modules that showed the target groups how to develop Dark Sky Ecotourism Products, services and Destinations – The VET programme equipped xx VET educators and business support organisations to adopt a systematic and effective approach the training o tourism SMEs so that they could develop innovative and sustainable products and services based on Dark Sky Ecotourism opportunities. 4201 downloads PR4: Europe Dark Sky Ecotourism App, created in English and translate into Icelandic, Italian and Portuguese , provided rural/remote tourism business owners, wider communities, individuals and European tourists with non formal and informal bite sized learning opportunities on topics related to INDSKY such as astronomy, light pollution, ecotourism, rural/remote life on Europe, natural tourism, night tours, nocturnal safaris and much more. Here is are listed the number of downloads from the project website of each PR that took place during the project lifetime: • PR1 – total of 786 downloads so far broken down as EN 276, IT 136, PT 199 and IS 175 - https://darkskytourism.eu/dark-sky-ecotourism-guide/ • PR2 - total of 852 users so far for the Dark Sky Audit Toolkit and 906 users for the Ecotourism Assessment Quiz broken down as EN 289 and 292, IT 156 and 195, PT 215 and 222 and IS 192 and 197 - https://darkskytourism.eu/self-assessment-and-toolkit/ • PR3 – Consists of 5 training modules downloaded over 4201 times across language versions broken down as EN 2401, IT 805 total, PT 1103 total and ICE 1493 total - https://darkskytourism.eu/online-course-en/ • PR4 - During the span of our project, the app attracted 261 users - https://darkskytourism.eu/dark-sky-ecotourism-app/ • There were in total 7 Multiplier events across 4 partner countries with total of 318 attendees .