Great expectation for the World Astrotourism Summit (Chile))

20-07-23

• The summit will be held in Vicuña Valle del Elqui (Chile) from 6 to 9 September.

Speakers include Heidi Hammel, interdisciplinary scientist of the James Webb Telescope Project; Gustavo Santos, Director for the Americas of the World Tourism Organization; María Teresa Ruiz, astronomer and winner of the National Prize for Exact Sciences, and José Jimenez, CEO and Executive Director of AstroÁndalus. The event is executed by the Municipal Corporation of Tourism of Vicuña and is funded by the Undersecretary of Tourism, Corfo and the Municipality of Vicuña.

The countdown has begun for one of the most important events to be held in the country this year, the World Astrotourism Summit Vicuña 2023. The international convention will take place between 6 and 9 September, and will seek to position Vicuña as the "World Capital of Astronomy and Astrotourism". 

The event will take place entirely in the commune of Vicuña, with its epicentre at the Municipal Theatre; however, there will also be activities at the Mamalluca Astrotourism Observatory, the Vera Rubin Scientific Observatory, the Gabriela Mistral Museum, the Plaza de Armas of Vicuña, and the Los Pimientos Park, among others

A few weeks ago, the Municipality of Vicuña and its Municipal Tourism Corporation, organisers of the summit together with ALF, announced the final programme for the event. It features a full programme with national and international exhibitors, a business roundtable, a National Astrotourism Fair, Astrofest in Mamalluca, a Star Party for citizens, and extra-programmatic activities linked to the Pisco Designation of Origin and the figure of Gabriela Mistral.

Among the speakers will be Heidi Hammel, a planetary astronomer recognised worldwide for her specialisation in the study of the gas giants Uranus and Neptune, but also for being an interdisciplinary scientist of the James Webb Telescope Project, a space observatory developed through the collaboration of 14 countries, built and operated by the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency and NASA. 

Astronomer María Teresa Ruiz, PhD in Astrophysics at Princeton University, who also won the 1997 National Prize for Exact Sciences, will also be part of the event. 

In 2015, the astronomer was elected President of the Chilean Academy of Sciences until 2018. She was the first woman to hold this position, elected unanimously by the 18 members present. 

Finally, it is worth mentioning the presence of Gustavo Santos, Director for the Americas of the UNWTO, former Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Argentina during the administration of Mauricio Macri and current National Deputy. 

"This is probably the biggest milestone ever experienced in the commune of Vicuña and undoubtedly at the national level (...) We are going to hold a summit that will talk about astro-tourism and astronomy, and that will bring great world exponents such as Heidi Hammel (...) We are convinced that the work done will give a unique result for the country and much of Latin America," said the Mayor of the commune of Vicuña, Rafael Vera Castillo. 

The meeting aims to position astrotourism and its value as a driver of sustainable development of rural communities, to position the global challenge of promoting global policies to protect the heritage of dark skies in Chile and the world, to discuss the future of astrotourism and agree on a roadmap for the industry, and to attract sustainable business investment for the region of Coquimbo.