MoS for Culture Arjun Ram Meghwal inaugurates Astro Tourism – A Sky Gazing event at Delhi’s India Gate

• National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) in association with Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) organised Astro Tourism – A Sky Gazing event at Delhi’s India Gate.
• The event was inaugurated by Minister of State for Culture, Arjun Ram Meghwal. The program will continue for next two days with various activities.
• Meghwal said, the programme will help in developing scientific temper among the people.
• The Astro Tourism event includes various activities like Astro Talks by expert Astronomers, Exhibition on Astronomy, Storytelling related to celestial objects, Experience of using telescope to see craters of Moon, Astronomy Activities, Photographic Panel Exhibition, and Astro-Photography.
• This three-day program will be a great learning experience for children of all age groups

What is Astro tourism?

• According to John Barentine of the International Dark-Sky Association, “Astrotourism is any kind of tourism that involves the night sky or visiting facilities related to astronomy like observatories, and combining that with a broader sense of ecotourism where interaction with nature is what the visitor experience is about

More about Astro tourism:

• The Ministry of Tourism’s Dekho Apna Desh Webinar series titled “Astro- Tourism: The Next Frontier of Nature-based Tourism” held on 06^thFebruary, 2021 focused on promoting nature-based tourism which is emerging strongly in a post – COVID world, the major thrust of the webinar was sustainable and responsible travel.
• The webinar focused on exploring the evolution of Astro-tourism as one of the most authentic and environment-friendly ways of travelling along with its immense potential to bring positive social, economic and conservation benefits to remote communities.
• Recently, in a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Department of Science & Technology (DST)has announced the setting up of India’s first Dark Sky Reserve in Hanle, Ladakh.