Southern Utah expects some stellar tourism

KANARRAVILLE, Iron County — As one of the best places on Earth to view the annular solar eclipse May 20, the sleepy town of Kanarraville may prove to be a tourism hot spot this year.

As Iron County prepares for the thousands of travelers expected to visit for the eclipse — which will feature the moon almost completely blocking the sun, except for an outer ring — astro-tourism is becoming an important buzzword for the local tourism trade.

"I heard of the concept two years ago," said Bonnie Oldroyd, a public relations specialist for the Cedar City-Brian Head Tourism Bureau. "I thought, 'What the heck is astro-tourism?' I did some research and found out we have astro-tourism."

Defined simply as traveling to study astronomy and observe the sky, astro-tourism has been a staple of Iron County for years, Oldroyd said, citing the annual Bryce Canyon National Park Astronomy Festival, stargazing parties at Cedar Breaks National Monument and the solstice events at Parowan Gap as examples.

Brian Salazar of Las Vegas said he considers himself an astro-tourist, and he makes yearly visits to southern Utah to take advantage of the area's dark nighttime skies.

"That's a resource we just don't have in Vegas," he said.

Though the primary reason he visits the area is to watch the Utah Shakespeare Festival, he said he always packs his telescope and spends time gazing at the sky.

"I drive up to Cedar Breaks or out west to the desert … and the Milky Way looks like a river of stars. It's amazing," he said.

Oldroyd said more tourists are becoming interested in astro-tourism thanks to the attention from the upcoming annular solar eclipse.

"We know a busload of people are planning to attend from astronomy societies in Salt Lake City," she said. "Hotels and the tourism bureau will reach out to other clubs within our driving demographic."

Kanarraville, with a population of approximately 300 people, will rely on Iron County public safety workers to help deal with the traffic and safety for the estimated 5,000 tourists expected to descend on the town, Oldroyd said.

David Ence, the town clerk for Kanarraville, said the town's main focus will be to mitigate safety and sanitation issues.