The Teide National Park and the peaks of Tenerife They renew the international certificate that guarantees the quality of the Tenerife sky for stargazing and its positioning as a destination for the astrotourism in Europe. It has succeeded after the Starlight Foundation has once again granted the certifications to Teide and the summits of Tenerife as a Starlight Tourist Destination and a Starlight Reserve.
The president of the Cabildo, Pedro Martin, points out that obtaining this renewal confirms that both the Teide National Park and the island’s peaks “They continue to maintain the qualities and excellent quality that led them to achieve their first certifications as places for stargazing.” Martín highlights “the satisfaction that comes from having met the demanding parameters established by the Starlight Foundation” and assures that the Island “has established itself as an outstanding destination for astrotourism.”
Martín explains that in the case of Teide, its declaration as a Starlight Tourist Destination recognizes its qualities for the contemplation of the starry skies and the practice of tourist activities based on this resource. The certification covers the Teide National Park, the area of the Izaña Observatory and its scientific facilities and the El Portillo area.
The Starlight Reserve qualification for the Cumbres de Tenerife, with nucleus in the Teide National Park and an adjacent area delimited by the Forest Crown, It implies the existence of a commitment to defend the quality of the night sky and access to starlight in which the conditions of natural lighting and clarity are kept intact.
In this sense, the island director of Tourism of the Cabildo, Laura Castro, affirms that these recognitions, «in addition to supporting the work carried out so far, encourage us to continue advancing in maintaining that quality, and to continue on the path of commitment to sustainability, with which Turismo de Tenerife and the Insular Institution are so committed ”.
Castro emphasizes that in the renovation report, the Starlight Foundation values “the effort and work that the Cabildo of Tenerife has been developing in recent years, as well as the municipalities and actors involved to value the sky of the Starlight Reserve (RS) Cumbres de Tenerife and Starlight Tourist Destination (DTS) to El Teide ».
The CEO of Tenerife Tourism, David Pérez, adds that the island has been “emerging” for years as a destination for observing the sky. It highlights the telescopes of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias and the Starlight certifications that La Matanza de Acentejo, some lodging establishments on the Island or the Parque Estelar Camino Barranco de Badajoz also have, «the only park that has this type of certificate in the Canary Islands, and one of the eight in the world that has obtained the Starlight 2020 Recognition for the Education and Diffusion of Astronomy ».
