Aurora Borealis tourism

September 27, 2013

NASA predicts this Fall will feature spectacular northern lights viewing when the sun reaches the peak of its 11 year activity cycle known as Solar Maximum. 

NASA’s prediction is based on the number of sunspots originating on our star’s surface and, as the name would suggest, Solar Maximum is when the frequency of sunspots peaks. In the Arctic, artificial light is generally related to population density. In terms of the best time to see the Aurora, the Lights are generally seen between September and April, on cloudless nights. 

In the northern part of North America:

• Hotels and lodges near Fairbanks offer winter packages for travelers who want to increase their chance of seeing the aurora because Fairbanks is closer to the highly active area over the arctic. The Aurora Borealis Lodge in Fairbanks offers evening tours to a location 20 miles away from the city lights and features Japanese translations of its service offerings.
• Chena Hot Springs is a prime location to view the aurora borealis, only one hour from Fairbanks. Denali, at 63 degrees north, is also a good spot to view the Northern Lights. The community of Nome (64 degrees) is a good place to view the northern lights.
• Watson Lake Yukon has a Northern Lights Centre built in 1996 to feature ‘Aurora borealis’, with panoramic video and surround-sound systems. The Northern Lights Centre also incorporates interactive displays that explain the science and folklore of the Northern Lights with the latest information about the Canadian space program. Canadian rocket technology played an important part in early Northern Lights research.
• NWT Tourism calculates that there’s a 90- to 100-per-cent chance of seeing the display on clear nights between January and early April, thanks to Yellowknife’s flatter, less-cloud-covered terrain and its position under the “Aurora Oval” NASA predicts this Fall will feature spectacular northern lights viewing when the sun reaches the peak of its 11 year activity cycle known as Solar Maximum.
• Baffin Island, in Nunavut is one of the most remote places in Canada, accessible only by air. But the lack of man-made lights makes for amazing light shows up above.

 

 

Commentary

The Finns and Swedes have a thriving northern lights tourism industry, catering to the European market. The Scandinavians have the most sophisticated tourism offerings. 

The economic importance of northern lights viewing has grown with prosperity in Asia.

Sources

• a)http://www.theaurorazone.com/about-the-aurora



• b)http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travel-competitions/9956549/Win-a-holiday-to-see-the-northern-lights.html and http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/9496404/The-northern-lights-Trip-of-a-Lifetime.html



• c)http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/destinations/how-do-i-see-the-northern-lights-on-a-budget/article554424/