ASTRO TOURISM ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

Six young Astro tourism entrepreneurs from the heart of the great Karoo have embarked on a unique and inspiring journey in the tourism space.

If there is ever a good story coming from the centre of the Northern Cape, this is a story as beautiful as the Milky Way arching over the Karoo on a starry night.

Five unemployed youth from Carnarvon – Amy-Lee Visagie, Nicole Vermeulen, Kaylene Malgas, Brandon Booysen, Gillian Kamies, and Chrislin de Koker from Vanwyksvlei, earned their opportunities to be trained as astro tourism entrepreneurs just over a year ago.

The “Astros”, as they are affably referred to, mastered all the fields in a very tough course to take up their place in the tourism industry, not only as entrepreneurs but also as fully qualified Astro tourism guides.

The course, a first of its kind in South Africa, included subjects such as entrepreneurship, managing a tourism business, destination knowledge, developing and pricing an itinerary, astronomy and sky viewing, telescope use and maintenance, storytelling, self-mastering, first aid, tourist guiding and lots of practical work to grow their confidence and hone their skills.

They crisscrossed South Africa and the Northern Cape as part of their knowledge development with visits to Hartebeeshoek Radio Astronomy Observatory in Pretoria and many small towns such as Loxton, Sutherland and Loeriesfontein. This week, they are attending the 32nd General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union in Cape Town, where they had to meet the many Astro scientists and media while promoting the Northern Cape as an Astro tourism destination.

Participating in the course was not only a life-changing experience, given the knowledge and exposure they gained, but it also generated a steady income as the “Astros” earned a stipend for every day in training. This made them role models in their local communities, who pridefully looked upon them.

The project aims to contribute to the sustainability of the soon-to-be-built SKA Carnarvon Exploratorium and the attractiveness of the Karoo Highlands and Forgotten Highway tourist routes. At the same time, it will make a valuable contribution to growing tourism in the province's rural areas. The SKA Carnarvon Exploratorium will become the biggest tourism project ever launched in the Northern Cape and will accommodate the “Astros” once the doors open for visitors.

The “Astros” offer a moving and popular sky-viewing experience blended with narrating ancient stories told by the Karoo people, such as the! Xam San and Xhosa about the stars, moon, sun and people of the Karoo. They will also be able to guide visitors on the scenic Carnarvon heritage Karoo walking trail and offer town tours using a donkey cart.

The Department of Economic Development and Tourism and the South African Radio Array Observatory funded and implemented the project. It will soon be extended to other Karoo towns and the Kalahari.