Dark sky tourism and the sustainability of regional tourism destinations

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.

KEYWORDS:

• Dark
• night
• sky
• sustainability
• ethics

Acknowledgements

This research would like to acknowledge the contribution, engagement and support of the Murweh Shire Council and the Department of Tourism, Innovation and Industry Development, Queensland, Australia.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributors

Ella Blundell has a Bachelor of Business (Honours) at the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC). Ms Blundell currently works as a Research Assistant for the Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management at Griffith University. Her research interests include sustainable tourism, tourism ethics and last chance tourism.

Vikki Schaffer is Senior Lecturer within Tourism, Leisure and Event Management (TLEM) at the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), Australia. Vikki employs innovative approaches including immersive technologies for real and virtual experiences to inform interdisciplinary research focusing on sustainable tourism and cognitive appraisal of immersive visitor experiences.

Brent Moyle is an Associate Professor in the Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management, Griffith University. He takes an interdisciplinary approach to tourism research, partnering with researchers and communities to maximise outcomes. Brent takes pride in conducting research at the interface between theory and practice, engaging extensively with industry partners to complete research with impact.