Two New Astro-Tourism Initiatives to be Set-Up in Villages Close to Uttarakhand’s Nainital | The Climate Channel – Articles from The Climate Channel

Representative image of the starry sky.

(NASA / Bill Ingalls)

Are you interested in observing and observing celestial objects through telescopes? If so, expect good news! Astro-tourism will gain momentum in India in the coming months, particularly in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand.

Astro-tourism is an amalgamation of words like astronomy and tourism. It’s about observing the night sky in a place that is free from light pollution. According to the latest reports, Nainital’s tourism department will shortly start the development and planning process for the projects in the Uttarakhand villages of Takula and Devasthal.

The authorities have hired the Aryabhatta Research Institute for Observational Science (ARIES) to support all technical aspects of the project.

In fact, the two above-mentioned villages were specially selected because of their proximity to the ARIES Institute and a tourist hotspot in Nainital. In addition, Devasthal is known to be home to one of India’s largest telescopes, the 3.6 m long Devasthal Optical Telescope, which adds to the advantage of this selected location.

“We want the people who come to Nainital to have this experience too. That is why we have chosen the villages that are close to both ARIES and Nainital. The tourists who visit Nainital can easily come to these villages and enjoy activities such as stargazing, ”said Arvind Gaur, the district’s tourism officer. told The Times of India.

Authorities plan to procure at least six telescopes and other such instruments to better facilitate the night sky observation experience for tourists. In addition, there is talk of creating new host families for tourists in both villages, which are known as “astro stays”.

“We estimate that developing these host families would cost us around 1.4 billion rupees and that four to six telescopes would cost us around 60 billion rupees. We want the locals to run the entire company and that’s why they are trained, ”added Gaur.

In the meantime, ARIES director Dipankar Banerjee has stated that the institute is ready to provide its students and professors with all the necessary technical aspects.

“If the project is to be successful, the locals must be trained, so our students and researchers can help them. We also have to coordinate with the administration so that tours and various activities can be organized, ”explained Dr. Banerjee.

Astro-tourism is seen as the next big travel trend in the years to come. In India, places like Ladakh and Kutch have already started attracting tourists interested in looking at celestial bodies.

Recently, in January 2021, two places in Jaipur – Jawahar Kala Kendra and Jantar Mantar – started activities in the field of night sky tourism. An Astro Park is currently being developed in Mandu in Madhya Pradesh, while a Dark Sky Park is in progress in Ladakhs Hanle.

The Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) has taken another initiative with the International Astronomical Union to expand the scope of astro-tourism in India.

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