South Africa bets on its pristine night skies to propel world-first Astro tourism strategy – Dr Shamilla Chettiar

Half of the world's population cannot enjoy the night sky due to light pollution. Fortunately, South Africa has a significant geographic advantage, allowing us to experience our stunning night skies. The country aims to leverage this with its substantial investment in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a multi-billion-dollar initiative to construct the world's largest telescope. In an interview with Biznews, Shamilla Chettiar, the Deputy Director-General of the South African Department of Tourism, said that R352 million will be allocated to the project in the Northern Cape to stimulate economic growth and combat unemployment. Dr. Chettiar said that Sutherland, home to the largest optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere, has seen a surge in tourism, generating R50 million annually for the region. A Science Exploratorium will be established in Carnarvon, where the SKA is located, and the astro-tourism strategy will include the indigenous storytelling traditions of the San people