Dark sky tourism and the sustainability of regional tourism destinations
Ella Blundell, Vikki Schaffer, Brent Moyle
Abstract
Destinations across the globe face severe and potentially irreversible consequences from tourism growth and development. Contemporary approaches such as reducing access or site closures have been identified to increase demand, potentially exacerbating negative impacts. Despite acknowledgement of the impacts of tourism, limited studies have considered the ‘night sky’ as a tourism destination, nor the implications for regional sustainability. Consequently, the aim of this research is to explore the intersection between Dark sky tourism (DST) and sustainability within regional tourism. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the Murweh Shire, in outback Australia. The analysis revealed sustainability, ethics and education as critical to achieving sustainable DST in a regional setting. A core contribution of this research is a conceptual model for sustainable DST. Future research is required to further explore ethics as a critical, yet often neglected, component of sustainable tourism.