Sounds of Silence under the Stardome

STARLIGHT Certification

DESTINATIONS UNDER THE STARS

The Starlight Tourism Certification System was created with the aim of encouraging, at world-wide level, the improvement of the quality of tourist experiences and the protection of the night skies in Starlight Destinations. Starlight Destinations are visitable places characterised by excellent quality for the contemplation of starry skies and the practice of tourist activities based on this resource.The Starlight Certification seeks to guarantee the capacity to enjoy the view of the stars and to discover the associated scientific, cultural, natural and scenic values. The Starlight Certification makes it possible for the first time to bring science and tourism together, It aims to ensure the quality of tourism experiences involving the nightscapes, the view of stars and the cosmos and the related scientific, cultural and environmental knowledge. Recognition of science as a tourist product and, at the same time, as a working method in tourism, is the foundation of developing this standard.

Who can apply for Starlight Certification?Starlight Certification can be requested by all institutions, entities and associations, public or private, with competence for managing a Starlight Destination or who are responsible for related tourist and/or scientific activities that are organised within the destination.

What does Starlight Certification consist of and what does it evaluate?It is a voluntary certification that seeks to facilitate the continual improvement of the tourist product available in Starlight Destinations, by defining a set of minimum standards of quality for the development of scientific and cultural tourism products associated with viewing the stars. To this end, the system takes into consideration six areas of analysis that evaluate the management processes concerning internal and external aspects of the Starlight Destination:• expectations of demand side stakeholders (tourists and local population);• expectations of supply side stakeholders: government, private sector, scientific community, local

community and other players involved; • strategy and management of starlight resources;• environmental (night sky quality and dark skies), resource technical support, infrastructure and service

requirements;• knowledge management (information, research and innovation);• control of the Starlight Programme and feedback.

Steps to follow in order to obtain Starlight Certification:1. Request for informationAll entities wishing to certify a Starlight Destination in accordance with the criteria established by the Starlight Tourism Certification System should send a written request to the Starlight Foundation (SCTS@fundacionstarlight.org). Once the request is received, the Starlight Foundation will send information on the Certification System and a pre-registration form, free of charge.

2. Pre-registrationAny destination interested in being certified must make a written request for formal inclusion in the Starlight Tourism Certification System by attaching the duly completed pre-registration form. This procedure is not merely a bureaucratic formality as it allows the Starlight Foundation to detect any possible incompatibility or problem that may affect the certification process during the initial phase. The Starlight Foundation will study the request and decide whether or not to accept it within a maximum of 7 days.

3. Admission to the audit processIf the request is accepted, the institution will have to pay the pre-registration fee, which will be deducted from the total cost of certification at the time of paying for the audit. Once the pre-registration form and the fee have been received, the Starlight Foundation will assign one or more independent experts – who are part of the Starlight team of auditors – to conduct the audit of the Starlight Destination candidate.

4. AuditOnce the terms and conditions of the audit are agreed upon, the institution must make payment (deducting the sum of pre-registration). As soon as this payment is received, the Starlight Foundation will send the institution the Manual of Procedures (generally in electronic format).

Once the institution has received all the information, it can decide whether it wishes to:

• Proceed immediately;• Stop the process for a maximum of 60 days in order to better prepare the audit; or for a duly justified

longer period if conditions in the destination are not ideal for starting the audit;• Totally cancel the process before starting the audit. In this case, if the Starlight Foundation receives

written notice at least three weeks before the audit starts, all sums paid will be reimbursed, minus a 25% fee to cover administrative and bank costs.

Subsequently, the audit will be conducted in accordance with the timetable and conditions established. The institution must provide the necessary documents and means to carry out the audit as agreed. All information will be treated with utmost confidentiality.

5. CertificationAfter conducting the audit, the auditor(s) will send the report to the Starlight Foundation, which in turn, will refer it to the Starlight Certification Committee for evaluation. Once the Committee has concluded its evaluation, the Starlight Foundation will prepare the post-audit report and inform the institution of the results. If the outcome is successful, the Destination will receive the Starlight tourist label for whatever period may have been established by the Starlight Certification Committee. If not, a new audit may be carried out within a maximum of 6 months, once the necessary corrections have been made.

Advantages of the Starlight Tourism Certification System

For Starlight Destinations:• Recognition of the quality of their night skies.• Gain loyalty and a positive reputation for the destination.• Continuous improvement through regular audits.• Improved internal communications between the different stakeholders of the destination. • Maintain a uniform and constant level of quality by standardising processes.• Achieving tourist excellence and strategic positioning of Starlight Destinations.• Enhanced environmental responsibility based on reducing light pollution and protecting the

nightscapes.• Promotion of new scientific, cultural or scenic tourist resources.• Certification backed by the recommendations of UNWTO and UNESCO.• Membership of the Worldwide Network of Starlight T-Destinations.

For the scientific community:• Bring astronomy closer to the general public by using the enormous capacity of tourism as a vector for

disseminating knowledge.• Optimise astronomy and science-related infrastructure.• Opportunity to consolidate astronomy and science as an intelligent tourist product.• Raise awareness among the tourist community of the problems related to light pollution.• Participation of the tourist community in conserving the quality of the night sky.• New research-related opportunities in the area of cultural heritage and the conservation of nocturnal

biodiversity.

“An unpolluted night sky that allows the enjoyment and contemplation of the firmament should be considered an

inalienable right of humankind equivalent to all other environmental, social, and

cultural rights.”

“Among others, tourism can become a major instrument for a new alliance in defence of the quality of the nocturnal skyscape.

Responsible tourism can and should take on board the night sky as a resource

to protect and value in all destinations. Generating new tourist products based

on the observation of the firmament and the phenomena of the night, opens up

unsuspected pos¬sibilities for cooperation among tourism stakeholders, local

communities, and scientific institutions.”

Extract from the Declaration in Defence of the Night Sky and the Right to Starlight (UNESCO, UNWTO, IAU, IAC; CMS-UNEP, EC, SCBD, COE, MaB

Programme and Ramsar Convention).

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