3 DAYS
50 SPEAKERS
4 ROUND TABLES
150 PARTICIPANTS

Espacio Cultural Santa Clara, Soria 2025

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ABOUT

ABOUT EVENT

The Annual Starlight Meeting of Astrotourism, 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

Soria.
Spain.

WHEN

Thursday to Friday
22nd to 24th October 2025

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
REGISTRATION

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

SORIA


Spain

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

Conference Schedule

Conference Schedule

19:30 - 23:55 Tirso De Molina

Welcome cocktail

09:00 - 09:30

Registration

09:30 - 10:30

Opening Ceremony – Welcome

09:30–10:00 Director of Tourism, Junta de Castilla y León; President of the Soria Provincial Council; Mayor of Soria; Mayor of Borobia; Director of the Starlight Foundation

10:00 - 13:30

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

10:00–10:30 Starlight Foundation: 2025 Actions, current global situation, and future challenges.- Antonia Varela (Starlight Foundation) 10:30–11:00 Soria: First Starlight Reserve Province - Soria Provincial Council 11:00–11:30 Coffee Break 11:30–12:00 The Great Spanish Eclipse 2026, 2027, and 2028- Rafael Bachiller (OAN–IGN) 12:00–12:20 How to Plan the Total Solar Eclipse of 2026 - Oscar Martín (Startrail) 12:20–13:30 Solar Observation – Borobia Observatory

13:30 - 15:30

Lunch

15:30 - 17:30

Session 2 – Astrotourism and Local Sustainable Development: Starlight Network

15:30–16:20 Round Table: The Eclipse Trio in the Media- Fernando Valmaseda, Ángel Gómez, Sara Rodríguez, Alex Che 16:20–16:40 The Gran Eclipse Festival in Prades- Alex Roig 16:40–17:00 An Inclusive Total Solar Eclipse - Aurelio Fernández 17:00–17:30 Smell the Universe (AromAtom) - Marina Barcenilla (University of Westminster and the Natural History Museum of London)

18:00 - 23:50

Historical-cultural tour of Soria with a live music event.

09:30 - 13:30

Session 3 – Communication in Astrotourism and Outreach

09:30–09:50 tbd – Sara Rodríguez (Turismo de Estrellas) 09:50–10:10 tbd – Ángel Gómez Roldán (Astronomía Magazine) 10:10–10:30 tbd – Raquel Molinero (Hotel Cielo de Muriel) 10:30–11:00 Discussion 11:00–11:30 Coffee Break 11:30–12:00 Round Table: Launch of the Astrotourism Guide, UN Tourism and Starlight Foundation 12:00–12:15 Colombia Starlight: Regional Starlight Meeting Latin America 2026 - Diana Rojas (ASASAC) 12:15–12:30 Starlight in Coquimbo (Chile): Mamalluca, Collowara, and Cruz del Sur – Starlight Stellar Parks - Angélica Funes (SERNATUR) 12:30–12:45 Nova Scotia Starlight: Innovation and Regional Development through Astrotourism - Tim Doucette (Deep Sky Eye) 12:45–13:00 Starlight Certifications in Peru: Challenges of Astrotourism - Luis Velasco 13:00–13:30 Discussion

13:30 - 15:30

Lunch

15:30 - 17:30

Session 4 – Protection of the Night Sky: Science, Sustainability, and Climate Change Mitigation

15:30–15:40 Smart Lighting: Technical criteria and application in urban landscapes- Susana Malón (Lumínica Ambiental) 15:40–16:00 Rescuing Darkness: Engineering for a Starry Sky- Federico de Paz 16:00–16:20 The Importance of Dark Sky Certifications - Salvador Ribas 16:20–16:40 Lighting with Criteria: Applied psychology to defend a darker and healthier sky - Heike Mai 16:40–17:00 tbd – José Antonio Martínez 17:00–17:30 Discussion

18:00 - 19:00

Public speech

20:30 - 23:50 Alfonso VIII Hotel

Closing dinner and Starlight Awards Ceremony

09:30 - 13:30

Session 5 – VI Starlight Guides and Monitors Meeting

09:30–09:45 Mythology of Eclipses in Different Cultures- Begoña Estévez and Antonio Pazos PRESENTATIONS 11:00–11:30 Coffee Break 11:30–12:30 Presentations 12:30–13:30 Round Table: Challenges and Opportunities in Astrotourism

13:30 - 15:30

Lunch

15:30 - 16:30

Afternoon Session - VI Starlight Guides and Monitors Meeting

15:30–16:00 What Is Not Documented Does Not Exist: Starlight Destinations in Wikimedia Projects - Mentxu Ramilo (Wikimedia Spain Association) 16:00–16:30 Round Table: Sky Quality and Access to Starlight: SDG 18 - Antonia Varela (Starlight Foundation & BPW Canarias), Susana Malón (Lumínica Ambiental) 16:30–17:30 Presentations of Starlight Committees and Working Groups

17:30 - 18:00

Conclusions and Closing Session

18:00 - 21:00

Visit to the Borobia Observatory, lights-out and night sky observation.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Useful Information

RESTAURANTS

ORGANIZERS

ORGANIZERS

COLLABORATE

COLLABORATE

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