MoU between ARIES & KMVN for Astro Tourism
MoU between ARIES & KMVN for Astro Tourism
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Science (ARIES) and Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) Ltd., Nainital for enhancement of astro-tourism opportunities was signed on 29-05-2024. Nainital is a world renowned tourist destinationwhere thousands of tourists flock every day. The pristine Himalayan peaks of Uttarakhandprovide the perfect dark skies to see the celestial wonders in their full glory. However, very few of these have the other required factors such as expert astronomy guides, telescopes, accessibility and other supporting infrastructure. The location of ARIES so close to the Nainital town provides the perfect solution to these requirements.
Apart from the natural beauty of Nainital, through the MoU the tourists in many of the KMVN guest houses will now get an opportunity to visit the ARIES Science Centre for many fun and informative activities including stargazing through telescopes and learn more about the mysteries of the universe. Though ARIES Science Centre has been open to student groups and public visitorsindependently also for a long time now, the role of KMVN as the central point for their patrons will boost the reach of ARIES as well as be a great convenience to the patrons. This MoU is an important step in further development of astro-tourism in Uttarakhandas it aims to provide a platform to nurture theinterest and fulfil the curiositypeople havefor the universe. In the initial phase, KMVN will bring their patronsto ARIES in batches of 25 on scheduled days and the experts at ARIES will conduct astronomy related activities for them. Through this agreement, ARIES will also get to inform the tourists visiting Nainital from different parts of the country about the research carried out at ARIES and its importance.
On behalf of ARIES, the agreement was signed by the directorProf.Dipankar Banerjee and Engineer Mohit Joshi.Managing Directorof KMVN, Dr. Sandeep Tiwari (IAS), signed the agreement on behalf of KMVN. On this occasion,the ARIES public outreach committee co-chair Dr.Virendra Yadav presented the elements of the outreach activities that tourists will be experiencing soon as part of the MoU.



