Darkish Sky Alqueba Reserve (Supply in Portuguese)Portugal’s reference in astrotourism, the corporate received the Tourism Experiences class on the fifth Tourism Leaders Awards 2026. This ranking highlights that the area produces progressive tourism merchandise.
Positioned within the Alentejo area, darkish sky alkeba It performs a global main position in observing stars, planets, meteors, and even the aurora borealis. The expansion of astrotourism, low ranges of sunshine air pollution, excessive air high quality, and continued efforts to guard the evening sky have been decisive elements in successful this award.
of Tourism Leaders Award 2026 Tourism Expertise Class We distinguish between initiatives thought of to be associated to innovation, sustainability and impression on the tourism expertise. On this means, we’re reaffirming the potential of Portugal’s inside in creating progressive tourism initiatives that entice vacationers from all around the world.
The setting of the Darkish Sky Alqueba Reserve has received dozens of awards lately. In 2025, it received the Award of Excellence on the World Journey Awards, a global award recognizing excellence within the tourism and journey sector.
darkish sky alkeba It was additionally Obtained the world’s first starlight vacationer vacation spot certification. Locations with this certification present wonderful situations for the event of astronomical commentary and sustainable house tourism.
A lot of the awards received are the results of the work of the reserve. Main astrophotographer Miguel Claromakes use of images to file and promote astronomical phenomena and promote scientific and cultural analysis of the evening sky in Arkeva.
In an interview with Euronews, Miguel Claro stated the honour acquired by Darkish Sky Alqueba is vital in that it helps to uplift the area and lift public consciousness of the significance of defending the evening sky.
“Individuals who go to us, particularly foreigners, connect nice significance to the awards we obtain. For instance, the Starlight Seal checks high quality. It’s not simply an opinion, however a certification that scientifically proves its high quality,” explains Miguel Claro.
“Astrophotography helps individuals perceive somewhat little bit of what they’ll see at the hours of darkness skies. That is the primary level of contact. I believe that is what awakens the will to go to protected areas, as a result of it touches the innermost a part of us, the a part of us that used to think about what the sky and the universe have been like once we have been younger,” he added.
Astrophotographers say photographing house is a tough job that begins lengthy earlier than the picture is captured. It requires quite a lot of adaptability and using extremely specialised and complicated gear that may cut back noise and extra precisely file phenomena equivalent to nebulae and galaxies.
Requested in regards to the picture enhancing course of, Miguel identified that “each picture needs to be processed” and that every shot requires its personal sort of correction to scale back imperfections and guarantee a end result as true to the phenomenon as potential.
“Portugal has the potential to be a pioneer in lots of initiatives.”
Portugal’s place on the map, together with its temperate local weather and countryside, has propelled the nation, and particularly the Alentejo area, to the highest of the world. Reference level for the event of house tourism. It is because there’s much less gentle air pollution and there are a lot of clear nights all year long, permitting for higher sky viewing. Alqueba has a median of 286 clear nights per yr with wonderful visibility situations.
Regardless of Portugal’s favorable place for the event of house tourism, Portuguese investments on this sector aren’t all the time fascinating. Miguel Claro factors out that some nations near Portugal have managed to implement the venture that the Darkish Sky Arqueba workforce conceived greater than a decade in the past, regardless of the much less favorable situations for this exercise, however this has not been potential as a consequence of inadequate funding.
“With extra assist, Portugal might be a pioneer in lots of initiatives. I really feel that funding is rising, however we’d like extra assist,” says the astrophotographer.
Miguel Claro argues that astronomy occupies little or no house within the instructional system and this displays the dearth of literacy on this discipline among the many inhabitants. On this regard, he requires additional popularization and training of astronomy so as to make astronomical ideas extra accessible.
Reserves equivalent to Darkish Sky Arqueba enhance consciousness about house, particularly amongst younger individuals. At this observatory, you’ll be able to observe phenomena that may solely be seen with the bare eye or with a telescope.
of The realm licensed by Starlight spans over 10,000 sq. kilometers The Nice Lake Alqueva space consists of 11 Portuguese municipalities and neighboring Spanish municipalities: Alandroal, Barrancos, Estremoz, Moura, Moura, Redondo, Reguengos de Monsaras, Portel, Évora, Mertola, and Serpa.
