3 DAYS
30 SPEAKERS
3 ROUND TABLES
100 PARTICIPANTS

Regional Starlight Meeting in América

    dayhoursminsec0
    • 0
    • 0
    • 0

ABOUT

ABOUT EVENT

The Regional Starlight Meeting in América, is an event with the participation of Starlight certified territories and accommodations, people trained by the Starlight Foundation as Monitors and Guides, and professionals related to Starlight movement, who meet to exchange experiences, discuss issues associated with astrotourism, and establish guidelines for the future.

The “tourism of the stars”, or Astrotourism, promoted by the Starlight Foundation (www.fundacionstarlight.org) is an emerging, high-quality and innovative modality of sustainable and responsible tourism, which in turn is a driver of the local economy. It combines the observation of the sky with activities related to this natural resource; stars, galaxies and the dissemination of astronomy.

To encourage this scientific tourism it is necessary to protect the night sky, thereby enabling energy savings and mitigating the effects of climate change while combining the starscape with the natural, cultural, scientific, biodiversity and environmental assets in those places that care for the night sky.

WHERE

Villa de Leyva.
Colombia

WHEN

Thursday to Friday
From 18th to 20th March 2026

CONFERENCES

CONFERENCES

The Values of Astrotourism

  • Science and society
  • The science as culture
  • Tourism as cultural dialogue
  • Importance of tourism in the popularization of science
  • Cultural value of scientific tourism
  • Features of the scientific tourism
  • Scientific tourism, an opportunity
  • Singularity of Astronomy as science
  • The dark sky: Humankind’s cultural heritage
  • Values of the night sky
  • “The Starlight Declaration in the Defense of the Night Sky and the Right to the Light of the Stars” (La Palma, 2007)

MEET

OUR SPEAKERS

Astrotourism: An instrument for sustainability and for climate change mitigation

  • Strategic value: economic and energy saving
  • Dialogue of the cities and historical places with the stars
  • Protection of the night sky
  • Night sky: environment and biodiversity
  • Night sky and Health: a factor of quality of life
  • Tourism as an instrument to mitigate climate change and for sustainability

Astrotourism and Local Economic Development

  • Dimensions of astrotourism
  • Importance of sustainable tourism for the development of rural territories
  • Nature tourism: addition of the starred landscape
  • Astrotourism against the depopulation in rural areas
  • Opportunity of the creation of new products of Astrotourism
  • In times of tourism-phobia how the Astrotourism is integrated in the territories.
  • Management of territories declared Starlight Reserves and Starlight Tourist Destinations
  • The challenge of the quality
  • Starlight modalities as possible prototypes

Where

to stay

VILLA DE LEYA


Colombia

Education, Training and Outreach

  • Starlight training: guides, monitors, auditors, lighting technicians, teachers
  • Synergies with Astrophysics Research Centers, Astronomical Observatories and Universities
  • International cooperation with Amateur Astronomers Associations and with AWB
  • Communication and marketing of Astrotourism places and activities
  • Light pollution in the press
  • Use of new technologies in Astrotourism
  • The value of the night sky: a pending subject in the schools
  • Astrotourism: a potential University Master Degree
  • Alliances with the UNWTO, IAU and UNESCO

SPEAKERS

SPEAKERS

Antonia M. Varela

Diana Rojas

John Jairo Parras

Juan Vicente Ledesma

LAURA FUYA

Óscar Martín Mesonero

Rafael Bachiller

Susana Malón

Conference Schedule

Conference Schedule

09:00 - 09:30

Registration

09:30 - 09:50

Opening Ceremony – Welcome

09:50 - 13:30

Session 1

9:50–10:30 – The Starlight Network: leadership and international standards in astrotourism. Global challenges and opportunities — Antonia Varela (Starlight Foundation, MCC, IAC)

10:30–11:00 – Villa de Leyva Starlight Town: identity, opportunities and tourism differentiation — Laura Fuya (Tourism Secretary of Villa de Leyva)

11:00–11:30 – Coffee Break

11:30–11:50 – Astrotourism under the skies of the Colombian Caribbean — Cristian Góez (Colombian Olympiad Office and Scientific Cluster Foundation, Colombia)

11:50–12:20 – Storytelling to care: local identity and astrotourism — Juan Vicente Ledesma (TeideAstro and Starlight Foundation, Spain)

12:20–12:40 – Sol Muisca Starlight: a unique experience under the skies of Colombia — Carlos A. Marrero (Sol Muisca, Colombia)

12:40–13:30 – Costa Rica experience of the first certified stellar park — Marco Vinicio (Copey Astronomical Observatory, Costa Rica)

13:30 - 15:30

Lunch

- 16:30

Session 2

15:30–16:00 – Round Table: Presentation of the Astrotourism Guide by UN Tourism and the Starlight Foundation — Antonia Varela (Starlight Foundation) and Laura Fuya (Tourism Secretary of Villa de Leyva)

16:00 - 18:00

City Tour in Villa de Leyva

18:00 -

Welcome Cocktail

09:00 - 09:30

09:00 - 09:30

Opening Ceremony – Welcome

09:30 - 13:00

Session 1 – The Values of Astrotourism and Starlight Certification: 18 Years of Commitment to the La Palma Declaration

13:00 - 15:00

Lunch

16:30 - 18:30

Historical-cultural tour / Recorrido Histórico cultural

09:00 - 13:00

Session

13:00 - 15:00

Lunch

15:00 - 21:00 Veredas de Villa de Leyva

Cultural tour

Agenda

Social Agenda

No Post Found

USEFUL INFORMATION

Useful Information

RESTAURANTS

ORGANIZERS

ORGANIZERS

COLLABORATE

COLLABORATE

TOP