Go to frontpage

Embracing Dark Sky Tourism in Northern Periphery and Arctic

Assisting enterprises and public organisations across NPA regions develop tourism flow during the dark months of the year using darkness of nature and Dark Sky as additional elements for diversifying the tourism package.

NPA GLOW2.0

GLOW2.0 focused on three main aspects: 1. Enhancing the capacity of SMEs in delivery, marketing and promotion of tourism offers involving dark skies; introducing enterprises to accessible immersive technologies (AR, VR); 2. Technology development of a virtual planetarium, 360-degree photography and star gazing applications, to be shared and adapted across the region; 3. Validation and promotion of Dark Skies tourism as a regional offer across the NPA area, which also serves as means of safeguarding natural assets; The outcomes were designed to be integrated into existing tourism strategies and offers on natural and cultural heritage to enable the enterprises to develop their own green business models. Green business can grow economically and reduce use of resources. Our aim was also to enable regions enhance their overall tourism offer and disseminate them across the NPA.

Our transnational partnership

GLOW2.0 was represented in NPA regions of Finland, Ireland, Iceland and Norway.

Main project partners:

  1. Karelia University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
  2. Federation of Northern Lapland municipalities (Finland) (Sodankylä, Inari, Utsjoki)
  3. Federation of Regional Authorities NW Iceland (Iceland)
  4. The Gaeltacht Authority (Ireland)
  5. Innovation and Management Centre WestBIC (Ireland)
  6. UiT The Arctic University of Norway (Norway)

Associated partners: 

  1. Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment/ NKBR (Finland)
  2. National Parks and Wildlife Services (Ireland)
  3. Värriö Subarctic Research Station | University of Helsinki (Finland)
  4. Hólar University (Iceland)
  5. Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory, University of Oulu (Finland) 
  6. Snæfellsnes Regional Park (Iceland)
  7. Ulster University (Northern Ireland)

Project duration and budget

Glow 2.0 ran from 1st December 2022 to 30th November 2025.

Total budget

1.798.328,64 EUR

EU Funding

888.319,25 EUR

Non-EU funding

245.841,82 EUR

GLOW2.0 GALLERY

Project activities and events

GLOW2.0 social media channels

To reach our target audience locally and in their own language, GLOW2.0 communicated through regional social media channels hosted by local partner organisations. This ensured dissemination of our theme, which was still relatively unknown in many areas. Since the ending of the project, most of the channels are not updated.