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The Market for Space Tourism: Early Indications

November 2001
40(2):213-219

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The development and growth of space tourism faces a number of hurdles. Producing credible and reliable estimates of market demand represents one of the most significant of these. This article examines the early indications of the market for space tourism based on the limited research conducted to date. It identifies several research challenges and considers methodological alternatives that might improve research findings.

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NOVEMBER 2001JOURNAL OF TRAVEL RESEARCH

The Market for Space Tourism:

Early Indications

GEOFFREY I. CROUCH

The development and growth of space tourism faces a

number of hurdles. Producing credible and reliable esti-

mates of market demand represents one of the most signifi-

cant of these. This article examines the early indications of

the market for space tourism based on the limited research

conducted to date. It identifies several research challenges

and considers methodological alternatives that might im-

prove research findings.

In the late 1960s film 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley

Kubrick and Sir Arthur C. Clarke envisaged a future 2001 in

which mankind would be traveling in orbit around the Earth

in reusable vehicles resembling futuristic passenger aircraft

flying passengers and crew in a zero G environment. The air-

craft, although technically obviously very different, superfi-

cially appeared a small step from contemporary passenger

aircraft. In fact, in the film, Pan Am, not NASA, was identi-

fied as the aircraft’s operator, and it is understood that as a

result of the interest generated by the movie, Pan Am took

93,000 reservations from those members of the public who

wanted to be among the first to travel into space

(Michalopoulos 1999).

While Pan Am is no longer in business, commercial

orbital space tourism is: on April 28, 2001, the wealthy Cali-

fornian investor Dennis Tito accompanied a Russian rocket

to the International Space Station (ISS) at a price of

U.S.$20 million, making him the first individual to person-

ally pay for a ticket into space. Other forms of space tourism

have, however, been with us for a good number of years.

Space, the universe, and mankind’s minute presence in it

fascinate humans. The idea of being able to look down on the

surface of the Earth from space with Earth’s thin atmosphere

sustaining life and floating in a black void with trillions upon

trillions of stars and galaxies far beyond is an imagined expe-

rience that generates passion and excitement in everyone.

But if space travel and tourism were available to the public,

how many could and would participate?

This article briefly overviews the current status of space

tourism, summarizes a number of space tourism market

research studies, identifies market research challenges and a

potential methodological approach, and describes recent (at

time of writing) developments likely to influence the com-

mercialization of space tourism.

SPACE TOURISM AT PRESENT

Although Tito is the world’s first paying orbital space

tourist, terrestrial space tourism has been underway for many

years, and touristic travel to outer space has been anticipated

for some time (Goodrich 1987; Ashford 1990). In the past

few years, suborbital space tourism also has enabled aspiring

space tourists to come even closer to achieving their dream.

Numerous activities and endeavors have occurred or are cur-

rently underway to foster the development of space tourism.

Some of these are summarized below. A more detailed expo-

sition can be found in Smith (2000), but advances and devel-

opments in the field are occurring rapidly.

Terrestrial Space Tourism

Humans have probably wondered what it would be like to

travel beyond the confines of their terrestrial world for mil-

lennia. For the first time, however, the 20th century

Geoffrey I. Crouch is a professor and the chair of tourism mar-

keting in the School of Tourism and Hospitality, La Trobe Univer-

sity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The author would like to grate-

fully acknowledge the assistance of Dr. Buzz Aldrin, Dr. Patrick

Collins, and Robert Haltermann for their assistance in identifying

market research studies and feedback on the article. Parts of this

article were presented at the 2001 Travel and Tourism Research

Association Conference and at the 2001 Conference of the Interna-

tional Academy for the Study of Tourism.

Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 40, November 2001, 213-219

Research Notes & Communications

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