On Tuesday, 28 April 2026, the Astrotourism Place Lab was formally established at the Municipal Hall in Jelsa, as part of the MedSkyTour project (Interreg Euro-MED). The event was organised by the Public Institution RERA S.D. for the Coordination and Development of Split-Dalmatia County, with the support of the Municipality of Jelsa, which is an associated partner on the project.
The opening address was delivered by Bernarda Kuliš, Senior Adviser and Island Coordinator at RERA S.D., after which the process of establishing the Place Lab was led by Dr Katarina Miličević and Nikolina Šimunović from the consulting firm Tourism Lab, based in Zagreb.
The Astrotourism Place Lab in Jelsa has been established in accordance with the Living Lab model and the Quadruple Helix approach, with the aim of engaging 6 to 10 stakeholders from four key groups: local and regional government, the business sector (small and medium-sized tourism enterprises, hospitality businesses, local crafts, agencies and private accommodation providers), the academic community, and civil society (associations involved in heritage preservation, ecology or the organisation of events on the island). The workshop presented the role and objectives of the local Place Lab, its planned activities, membership, and opportunities for stakeholder support and cooperation.
Jelsa was designated an International Dark Sky Community in 2022 — the first such community in Croatia and Southern Europe, and the 37th local authority to receive this designation worldwide. With a Bortle Scale rating of 4.6, the destination features a number of areas with low levels of light pollution, including Humac as the darkest sky area, the agricultural plain (Ager) between Jelsa and Stari Grad, Poljiča, and the smaller settlements of Pitve and Svirče. Notable stargazing sites include the meteor camera at Humac and the peaks of Sv. Nikola and Hum, with Sv. Nikola recording a Bortle Scale rating of 2. Jelsa also possesses cultural heritage sites such as the ancient towers of Tor and Galešnik, and the church-fortress of St Mary in Vrboska.
The next step envisaged is collaboration among Place Lab members on the co-creation of innovative astrotourism services.
The Municipality of Jelsa participates in the MedSkyTour project as an associated partner of RERA S.D. and as the pilot area in Croatia. The project brings together partners from seven countries with the aim of developing sustainable stargazing-based tourism and implementing measures to reduce light pollution at selected locations in Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain.
