SUPPORTING ASTRO-TOURISM: HOW GOVERNMENTS CAN ENABLE OPERATORS TO UNLOCK THE ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF THE NIGHT SKY
By Michael Dalley
Dark-sky tourism is the number one trending tourism category globally for 2025, with astro-tourism visitors spending $ 486 per trip compared to $ 115 for day trippers, and staying overnight 85 % of the time. Yet most Australian governments haven’ t asked the critical question: How do we enable this market, rather than trying to operate it ourselves?
I have spent years helping the private and public sector create or enhance astrotourism and outreach. What I’ ve learnt is akin to the NASA-versus-SpaceX analogy: both accomplish remarkable things through fundamentally different models. I’ m writing this article to help all levels of government understand that, outside of a few exceptions, it’ s better to enable instead of operate. Rather than“ How can we operate astro-tourism?” governments should be asking:“ How can we enable the private sector to thrive?”.
This facilitator approach supports visitor economy growth, downtown activation, small business retention in off-peak seasons, and STEM workforce development. The private sector is built for risk; it moves quickly, innovates constantly, and adapts because survival depends on it. Governments, by contrast, are built to protect community wellbeing. But when governments step into the role of tourism operators, they inherit public administration constraints: budget cycles, risk-averse governance, and the reality that tourism isn’ t their core competency. What takes a private operator one year to build can take a government agency three, five, or longer.
I learned this firsthand managing the Charleville Cosmos Centre for three years. The Cosmos Centre is extraordinary; Murweh Shire Council built a genuinely world-class astronomy venue. But it exemplifies the challenge: maintaining that level of excellence within council structures demanded years of investment and patience. The same outcome, delivered by a private operator unburdened by council procedures, might have been achieved in one year.
This dynamic mirrors the relationship between NASA and SpaceX. Both reach space but are designed for different purposes. NASA sets long-term vision, invests in research, and ensures safety. SpaceX, as a private company, is built to move quickly, test ideas rapidly, and take commercial risks a government agency cannot. The lesson for astro-tourism is the same: when the objective is speed and innovation, the private sector has structural advantages. When the objective is stewardship and long-term planning, governments are essential. Astro-tourism succeeds when each plays the role they are designed for. For astro-tourism, Australian governments don’ t need to be NASA; they need to be the platform that lets SpaceX launch.
THE LIMITING BELIEF:“ IF WE BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME” Walk into most government offices and ask about tourism assets, and you’ ll get a presentation on scenic walks, heritage precincts, or the food scene. Councils are extraordinarily good at knowing what they offer in daylight. But ask about astrotourism, and you’ re likely to get silence followed by:“ Is there really a market for that here?” or“ Wouldn’ t we need an expensive observatory?”.
These questions assume governments should be building and operating astrotourism experiences themselves. If that is the starting assumption, concerns about cost are valid. Governments generally
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT JOURNAL VOL 19 NO 1 2026 15