South Africa unveils plan to attract stargazing tourists
South Africa has finalised a national space tourism strategy that will be formally launched later this year, MPs have heard.
Africa’s clear night skies, astronomy infrastructure and indigenous starlore are untapped resources for tourism and socioeconomic development, the Department of Science and Innovation’s chief director of astronomy told a parliamentary committee on 1 March.
Takalani Nemaungani said the DSI has been working with the Department of Tourism and the government of the Northern Cape, where many of the country’s astronomy attractions are based, to develop and implement a tourism strategy.
The strategy will now be tabled for cabinet approval, and it’s expected to be officially launched at the International Astronomical Union General Assembly that will be held in Cape Town in August, he said.
Funding gap
Nemaungani said they compiled a list of existing projects that are aligned with the strategy already. “This strategy is not coming in a vacuum—astro-tourism is already happening,” said Nemaungani.
The list identified projects to the value of R271 million (US$14.3m). However, of this funding, only R139m had been secured, while R132m remains to be raised.
Source: Research Professional News