Astrotourism: The Image and Intention to Visit Low-Density Territories. The Case of the Portuguese North Inland Region
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59072/rper.vi66.33Keywords:
Astroturismo, Imagem afetiva, Fascínio, Serenidade, IntençãoAbstract
Astrotourism is an emerging tourism market segment made of visitors seeking to observe the sky during the night. These visitors also look for natural places away from polluted cities. Astrotourism has been growing over the last decades, but notably it was subject to fast growth during the pandemic caused by COVID-19. During this dark period, tourists demanded more intensively low density areas away from congested cities and were they could keep social distancing. The research supporting this paper was conducted at the Destino Turístico Starlight (DTS), which is located at the Natural Park of Vale do Tua (PNRVT). A survey was conducted looking to establish a profile for dark tourism tourists, and to understand how they appreciate the destination regions and how such regions may become part of the tourists’ experiences. Based on previous studies conducted in the area a questionnaire was designed and 450 Spanish tourists were questioned. The paper unveils that while being attracted by the observation of the stars, dark sky tourists choose places as a function of the quality of the destination and the tourism territories.
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