Unveiling the Critical Factors of Terrestrial Space Tourism Destinations

ABSTRACTSpanning from orbital and suborbital flights to spaceports, space museums, space hotels, and much more, space tourism is poised to redefine the landscape of the travel industry, promising economic growth, and prosperity for destinations across the globe. However, despite its transformative potential, existing literature has dedicated little attention to its exploration. Our research endeavours to shed light on the concept of terrestrial space tourism destinations. We crafted a comprehensive theoretical model that forms the bedrock for a deeper understanding of this unique and specialized niche. We employ a qualitative approach, drawing from an array of sources, including interviews with industry experts and key informants. Findings uncovered several critical factors that need to be considered when establishing a competitive and sustainable terrestrial space tourism destination, namely: safety, residents’ acceptance, infrastructures, and education. Furthermore, we introduce six research gaps that can inspire future investigations in this dynamically evolving field.KEYWORDS: Conceptual modeldestination product developmentspace industryterrestrial space tourism Author ContributionsThe paper is the result of the work of the whole group, however, it is possible to identify a manager for the different parts according to the following scheme. Research Design: Angelo Presenza, Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli; Development: Angelo Presenza, Rodolfo Baggio; Data collection: Angelo Presenza, Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli, Rodolfo Baggio; Data analysis: Angelo Presenza. As for the writing of the paper, the division of the parts is as follows: Introduction: Angelo Presenza, Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli; Literature review: Angelo Presenza, Rodolfo Baggio; Methods and data: Angelo Presenza, Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli; Discussion and Conclusions: Angelo Presenza.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).