DARK-SKY TOURISM FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM RECOVERY IDS designations, namely: communities, parks, reserves, sanctuaries, and Urban Night Sky Places. Currently, there are 195 certified IDSPs in the world41. All these designations indicate territories with a proper quality of dark skies. Bjelajac D., et al. (2021) rightly note that even though the main aim of the program is to reduce light pollution and preserve dark-sky places, it also is a great starting point for creating a touristic offer for everyone who wants to enjoy the nighttime landscape or participate in astronomical activities42. The international recognition of the dark sky as a travel destination was proclaimed during the First International Starlight Conference in 200743. The outcome document of the Conference was the “Starlight Declaration in Defense of the Night Sky and the Right to Starlight” (La Palma Declaration, 2007)44. One of the principles of the Declaration states that tourism should be used as an instrument for defending the quality of the dark sky. It is also stressed that “generating new tourist products based on the observation of the firmament and the phenomena of the night, opens up unsuspected possibilities for cooperation among tourism stakeholders, local communities, and scientific institutions”. The latter highlights the important role of DST in the social sustainability dimension. In order to promote DST, similar to the IDA, the Starlight Initiative has established two certification systems “Starlight Reserves” and “Starlight Tourist Destinations”. Starlight reserves are sites with the preserved quality of the night sky and its associated values, in particular, cultural, scientific, astronomical, natural, or landscape-related45. Starlight Tourist Destinations are visitable sites with excellent conditions for observing the stars, which are protected from light pollution and are suitable for tourist activities based on the stars as an integral part of nature46. Importantly, unlike IDSP and Starlight reserves, Starlight Tourist Destinations have to provide developed tourism offer and infrastructure that should be integrated into the natural nighttime environment. 41 IDA website [accessed on 18.04.2022]. 42 Bjelajac, D., Đerčan, B. & Kovačić, S. (2021) Dark skies and dark screens as a precondition for astronomy tourism and general well-being. Inf Technol Tourism 23, 19–43 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-020-00189-9. 43 The First International Conference in Defence of the Quality of the Night Sky and the Right to Observe the Stars was held in La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain, on the 19th and 20th of April 2007 with the participation of various organizations and national and international institutions, including UNESCO, UNWTO, IAU, UNEP- -CMS, COE, SCBD, MaB, EC and Ramsar Convention. 44 The Starlight Declaration in Defense of the Night Sky and the Right to Starlight (La Palma Declaration) prepared by the participants of the International Conference on the Quality of the Night Sky and the Right to Observe the Stars meeting in La Palms, Canary Islands, Spain, on 19 and 20 April 2007. 45 Starlight Reserves. 46 https://en.fundacionstarlight.org/contenido/47-definicion-destinos-turisticos-starlight.html
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