The Sky and Sustainable Tourism Development: A Case Study of a Dark Sky Reserve Implementation in Alqueva

Abstract

This paper shows the development of a tourism product in a destination that uses the night sky as its main source of attraction. Using this innovative product has helped to create a distinctive image, which is likely to attract a more diverse range of visitors and has assisted in improving economic, social and environmental sustainability. First, we present an overview about sustainable tourism and the sky as a tourism resource followed by a case study, in Portugal, that illustrates the potential of Dark Sky activities for tourism development in rural regions. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An Empirical Examination of the Form of Relationship Between Sustainable Tourism Experiences and Satisfaction

“…The results validate sustainable tourism as an outcome of both individual and contextual factors, and establish the pivotal role of novelty as it stimulates tourists' emotional experiences, excitement, value, and intentions, which, in turn, lead to higher satisfaction. Second, the results of this study directly support recent arguments for paying greater attention to tourists' behavior and the economic, social, and environmental values that sustainable tourism provides (Rodrigues, Rodrigues, & Peroff, 2014). Traditionally, the tourism literature has focused on how managers or the government can encourage and awake tourists' consciousness about the environment by, for example, providing official regulation and low justice to tourists.…”

Rural tourism: the evolution of practice and research approaches – towards a new generation concept?

“…There are many dark sky reserves and projects worldwide. The dark sky reserve project in Alqueva, Portugal is adopting many of the destination creating features of New Generation Rural Tourism to conserve dark skies and use them to develop and manage tourism in a holistic and sustainable way (Rodrigues, Rodrigues, & Peroff, 2014). A partnership has been created between the Alentejo Network of Village Tourism, Genuineland (a non-profit association of rural tourism entrepreneurs that has responsibility for coordinating the process), Turismo Terras do Grande Lago Alqueva (Tourism of Lands of the Great Lake of Alqueva), a public tourism entity involving six municipalities, the company that manages the great lake and its recently built dam, and the Alentejo Regional Coordination and Development Commission.…”

Tourism Diversification and Its Implications for Smart Specialisation

“…If tourism is prioritised, mutual support, developing new skills and providing adequate training, particularly to low-tech staff, are pivotal. In such a complex and multi-sectoral nature, the willingness to be open minded and consider the development of new tourism sectors and acquiring new skills is essential; such as the training of entrepreneurs of the Dark Sky Route in Portugal in enhancing their guiding skills and knowledge in astronomy [110].…”