Pampilhosa da Serra, Portugal, June 28, 2024 (Lusa) - The municipality of Pampilhosa da Serra, in central Portugal, expects a significant increase in visitors this year for dark sky observation, a local resource transformed into a tourist product, following the inauguration this week of the Geoscope - Fajão Astronomical Observatory.
The project led by Adxtur - the Schist Villages Tourism Development Agency, in co-promotion with the municipality in the interior of Coimbra district, is the anchor of the Schist Villages - Starlight Tourist Destination strategy.
Since 2019, the mountainous territory of Pampilhosa da Serra has become a destination of choice for anyone interested in observing the cosmos and studying the relationship between the earth and the sky, thanks to its location and excellent conditions of visibility, clear skies, darkness and the number of nights with clear skies.
The mayor, Jorge Custódio, is very hopeful about the Geoscope, which he considers to be a highly differentiating and innovative project in a territory with a low density of population, and which tries to reconcile these nature and dark sky destinations" - where visitors have very close contact with nature and local communities.
"What is a difficulty in these areas - poor mobile network coverage and limited public lighting for observing the sky - is an extraordinary potential," the mayor told Lusa, stressing that the municipality has great faith in the project, which is unique in the region.
According to Custódio, in 2023 one tour operator in the municipality sold more than 2,000 individual packages for observing the sky and stars, a figure that is expected to rise exponentially after the Geoscope's inauguration on Thursday, although observation was not possible that night due to rain and thunderstorms.
The Fajão Astronomical Observatory, which is scientifically orientated by astronomer José de Matos, consists of an observation point and an educational kiosk and is associated with an entertainment calendar with "Journey to Starlight" observation sessions, astrophotography and guided tours.
The observation point, located at the top of the village of Fajão, in an area that is part of the Natura 2000 Network and the Serra do Açor Protected Landscape, is a semi-spherical steel dome 7.5 metres high and 15 metres in diameter. Admission is free.
The support kiosk, which in summer is open from Wednesday to Sunday, closing at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, is equipped with equipment - telescopes, binoculars, chairs and blankets - to be borrowed by those interested in spending a night observing the sky.
There are also books, educational games and access to virtual reality.
The dark sky "is a resource that has always existed and is now seen as a product," Paulo Fernandes, president of Adxtur, emphasised to Lusa, stressing that the project strengthens strategic links and generates economic and social opportunities, with the development of exclusive tourism products.
"The fact that we are in an area of very low population density has become an asset for selling this geotourism, associated with the astronomical observation component, which is a line that is growing all over the world and now, in Portugal, in Pampilhosa da Serra, in the heart of the Schist Villages, we are going to have this offer," he said.
Fernandes, who is also mayor of Fundão in Castelo Branco district, stressed that this is not just a tourist offer for all ages, but also "a very important offer in terms of education, the promotion and democratisation of science and the diversification of the offer in the Schist Villages.
"We used to sell the days very well, with active tourism, the river beaches, the network of hiking trails and the cultural traditions of the area, but now we're also going to be able to sell the evenings much better with night-time entertainment, looking up at the sky," he emphasised.
For designer João Nunes, who came up with the original idea for the Geoscope, the project takes on a pedagogical character through a space for astronomical observation: "It's a place to observe ourselves and feel and understand the cosmos.
"Astronomy can also be a cell for the regeneration of this village [Fajão], based on this project which is regenerating planetary consciousness and ecology," he emphasised to Lusa.
The scientific coordinator is astronomer José de Matos, from the University of Aveiro, who is overseeing the project's scientific side and organising specific activities.
"My role has been one of scientific counselling and will continue to be so in the future, because there needs to be follow-up," he told Lusa.
This new site dedicated to astrotourism represents an investment of €179,280, co-financed by the Sustainability Support Line of the Valorizar Programme of Turismo de Portugal and by the European Union's Interreg Programme: Globaltur - Euroace Project.
AMV/ARO // ARO.
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