Astro-Tourism: A search for the unknown in Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa

Eben Proos

Development Southern Africa, 2025, vol. 42, issue 1, 93-106

Abstract: Astro-Tourism involves ‘using the natural resource of unpolluted night skies, and appropriate scientific knowledge for astronomical, cultural and environmental activities’. Astro-Tourism further includes specialised activities that differ from mass tourism, as tourists are exposed to knowledge-rich experiences. Well-known examples of Astro-Tourism destinations include Bryce Canyon National Park and Death Valley in the United States of America (USA). The Free State Gambling, Liquor and Tourism Authority (FSGLA) is the marketing arm of the Free State province and is responsible for attracting potential tourists to the province and solidifying the Free State as a destination of choice. Astro-Tourism has been identified as an opportunity to grow tourism in Bloemfontein and the Free State. This study found that Astro-Tourism is a niche product, and that the facilities currently on offer in Bloemfontein are in excellent condition and can potentially be further exposed to a broader audience through dedicated marketing initiatives and events.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/0376835X.2024.2426606 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:deveza:v:42:y:2025:i:1:p:93-106

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/CDSA20

DOI: 10.1080/0376835X.2024.2426606

Access Statistics for this article

Development Southern Africa is currently edited by Marie Kirsten

More articles in Development Southern Africa from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().