Starry November in Menorca
The registration is open for the II Starlight Meeting on Astrotourism and the next Starlight Monitors Course, both will take place in autumn in Menorca.
2019 / 08 / 19
The star tourism will feature two of its most important events this autumn in Menorca. On the one hand, the island will host in November 18 to 27 the next Starlight Monitors Course for training tour guides specialized in astrotourism. On the other hand, the II Starlight Meeting on Astrotourism, the most important annual congress for the sector, will take place between November 28 and 30. It brings together all kinds of agents, organizations and certified territories around astronomical tourism. For both events, the inscriptions are open online on the Starlight Foundation’s site, event organisers.
Starlight Monitors Course
From November 18 to 27, a new group of Starlight Monitors will be trained on the island (Starlight Reserve and Starlight Tourist Destination).
The Star Tourism is an emerging segment of the tourism industry, not only with a cultural and economic value, but also a mobilizing element in areas with environmental value that need to expand its offer and boost its economy.
This new Star Tourism requires the training of "Starlight Astronomical Monitors", specialized in conducting groups at night and during the day. Starlight Astronomical Monitors ensure that visitors, in addition to enjoying the nature and culture, can enrich their knowledge of the universe through disclosure, observing the sky with the naked eye or with simple observational tools.
The Starlight Foundation, the entity in charge of organizing and teaching these Courses, has taken into account the peculiarities of the sector and the high level of demand for current and future demand for so-called astrotourism. Courses for Starlight Astronomical Monitors are widely accepted among the public and they have already been held in different parts of the world.
The Starlight Astronomical Monitors course in Menorca will take place from November 18 to 27 at the Es Mercadal Convention Center.
The training combines theoretical and practical classes and lasts 60 hours, with subjects on astronomy and astrotourism. The course is taught by a group of professors with proven experience in teaching Starlight Courses. Classes on astronomical knowledge are carried out by professional astrophysicists, while those related to astrotourism will be offered by professionals and entrepreneurs from this branch of sustainable tourism.
Those interested in training to offer star observation services must pay a symbolic fee to reserve their place. They must also prove to be an official tourist guide, entrepreneur or accredited employee in the field of astrotourism, amateur or professional astronomer, or be linked to the astrotourism sector.
Those interested in training to offer star observation services must pay a symbolic fee to reserve their place. They must also prove to be an official tourist guide, entrepreneur or accredited employee in the field of astrotourism, amateur, professional astronomer, or be linked to the astrotourism sector.
The registration fee is € 55 for residents of Menorca, € 85 for residents of any other Balearic Island and € 150 for other participants. 5% of the fee paid by the residents and 10% of the fee paid by the rest of the participants will cover environmental actions on the island.
As the course is subsidized by Menorca Reserva de Biosfera Agency of Consell Insular de Menorca, and the number of attendees is limited, in case of exceeding the applications, those people who, meeting the required requirements, are residents of the island of Menorca will have priority, in addition to taking into account the order of registration.
Registration is now available on the Starlight Foundation's website https://fundacionstarlight.org/cursos.html
II Starlight Meeting on Astrotourism
The Starlight Meeting will take place from November 28 to 30 on the island of Lazareto and will feature more than 50 national and international astrotourism professionals.
The Starlight Foundation chose Menorca as a meeting point for the II Astrotourism International Congress. It will have all kinds of agents related to astronomical tourism and all Starlight certified territories and accreditations are invited.
The director of the Starlight Foundation, Antonia Varela, explained: "In this second edition, we hope to continue advancing in response to the challenges faced by astrotourism, as well as the defense of the night sky and the dissemination of astronomical knowledge. We also hope that this event will serve as a meeting point for those who are part of the Starlight family. "
Registration is now available on the Starlight Foundation's website https://www.fundacionstarlight.org/ii-encuentro-starlight-de-astroturismo
