Astro-tourism conceptualisation as special-interest tourism (SIT) field: a phenomonological approach

Samaneh Soleimani, Johan Bruwer, Michael J. Gross and Richard Lee

Current Issues in Tourism, 2019, vol. 22, issue 18, 2299-2314

Abstract: This study conceptualises astro-tourism as a nature-based tourism phenomenon and illustrates its positioning as a special-interest tourism (SIT) field using a phenomenological approach. In the process, this baseline research study contributes to this relatively new tourism field’s foundational research aspects, such as developing a definition and, examining its articulation with destination image. It finds that astro-tourism is based on the interest of tourists in sky-related activities such as dark sky observation and astrophotography, most often in a nature-based context. The findings can be utilised to develop astro-tourism as a new medium in conceptualising tourism destination image by combining destination earth features as well as sky features. Targeting sky features of a destination combined with the earth facilities to attract tourists is one of the new opportunities to deliver unique tourism products.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1080/13683500.2018.1444021

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