DILI, 30 march 2023 (TATOLI) – The Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry (MoTTI), today sent a special team to identify the best spots in Com, Lautém municipality, and Beaço, Viqueque municipality, where tourists and visitors can see the full shadow of the April 20 solar eclipse.
MoTTI Director General Jelino Soares said the team is made up of engineers and other specialized experts who will identify the best places to be the concentration points for the various activities of the event.
He said preparation for the event is ongoing: “Each ministry is responsible for its own activities before and during the solar eclipse event.”
The activities include local product exhibitions, painting competitions, cooking competitions, cultural dances, and so on. These activities had been scheduled to begin on april 16.
“We will use this special event to promote our culture and local product to the tourists,” he said.
MoTTI had organized several meetings with the relevant entities, including other government ministries, and international agencies, regarding the preparation of the event: “We have also held meetings with the local authorities to strengthen our collaboration for the event.”
Soares said that the Finance Minister will allocate a budget for the event: “We will know the actual amount of the budget at the next meeting of the line ministries.”
Most of the guest houses and many of the community houses have been fully booked by tourists and scientists who will come to witness the solar eclipse.
Thousands of tourists and many scientists will flock to Timor-Leste to witness a once-in-a-century total solar eclipse.
A partial eclipse of magnitude 0.9809 will be visible from Dili on April 20, 2023. The maximum eclipse will be at 13:18:30 local time when 97.94% of the Sun’s surface will be covered by the Moon. Meanwhile, a total solar eclipse can be seen in the two eastern municipalities – Com in Lautém and Beaço in Viqueuqe.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
