The Astro-Tourism strategy, presented to Parliament's portfolio committees on Science, Technology and Innovation and Tourism earlier this week, seeks to position South Africa as a world-class astro-tourism destination.

This is what the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Blade Nzimande, told the committees during a briefing on 18 February 2024.  

The initiative, spearheaded by the Department of Tourism and the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), was launched in Carnarvon in September last year, following the Cabinet's approval of the strategy.

Minister Nzimande traced South Africa's rich history in astronomy back over 200 years to the establishment of the Royal Observatory in Cape Town.  He highlighted key milestones, including the construction in Sutherland of the South African Large Telescope, the largest optical telescope in the southern hemisphere; the MeerKAT telescope in Carnarvon, a precursor to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and one of the world's largest scientific projects; and South Africa's participation in gamma-ray astronomy through the High Energy Stereoscopic System telescope in Namibia.

He emphasised that South Africa is becoming a global leader in astronomy, evidenced by hosting the International Astronomical Union's General Assembly in 2024 for the first time in Africa.

"Equally, we also have a very robust tourism sector as a country, which is a major contributor to GDP and is expected to grow significantly over the next five to 10 years," said Minister Nzimande.

According to the Minister. astro-tourism extends beyond scientific research – it integrates tourism, education and cultural heritage.

"We regard science and tourism as mutually reinforcing and therefore building on our competitive advantages in astronomy and tourism," added the Minister.

The strategy seeks to, among other things, enhance the performance of South Africa's astronomy tourism sector through infrastructure developments and improvements, linking various kinds of astronomy with other tourism offerings, and enabling transformation by enhancing the livelihoods of communities near astronomy infrastructure.

The strategy also intends to yield sustainable benefit-sharing opportunities by optimising investments, improving marketing efforts and enhancing visitor experiences in South Africa.

Most importantly, the Minister pointed out, "we also seek to use this strategy to drive meaningful socio-economic development within poor and rural communities through science tourism".

Mr Takalani Nemaungani, Chief Director of Astronomy at the DSTI, outlined the implementation plan for the strategy, which is benchmarked with international astronomy facilities that include tourism experiences such as the Karl G Jansky Very Large Array in the USA, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Nxai Pan and Makgadikgadi Pan in Botswana, and Kenya's Travelling Telescope.

Mr Nemaungani said the planned construction of the SKA Science Tourism Visitor Centre in Carnarvon is currently going through a tender adjudication process, with construction due to begin later this year.

The steering committee for the strategy comprises officials from both departments, the Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, and the National Research Foundation and its sub-entities, the South African Astronomical Observatory and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory.

So far, eight young tourist guides from the Northern Cape have been trained, with more set to complete the Tourist Guide Training Programme this year.

"Public consultations are underway, with stakeholders invited to contribute to the strategy's implementation.  Collaboration between government, private sector, and local communities will be crucial in making astro-tourism a significant pillar of South Africa's tourism economy," he said.

The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Ms Makhotso Sotyu, stated that safety forums have been established within the Department of Tourism and the department is reviving its memorandum of understanding with the South African Police Service to protect the existing infrastructure in the Northern Cape.