Sustainability dimensions in space tourism: the case of Finland

Abstract

The current emergence of a new space economy is leading to the exploration of outer space towards unforeseen futures. Space tourism is a new addition to the tourism industry, prompted in large part by adventure-seeking individualism and potentially lucrative private business prospects. However, in light of the current megatrend of environmentalism, different space tourism activities are facing climate change-related challenges to convince the greater public of their necessity, especially as the high cost involved for suborbital space travel limits it to a niche adventure activity for the wealthy. This article explores the views held by the Finnish populace in relation to space tourism and sustainability through an empirical study. The data are derived from two surveys: the first gathering Finnish public opinion on space tourism’s sustainability with the use of principal component analysis; the second utilising a professional Delphi panel for qualitative explanations. The findings, analysed using grounded theory, can be compressed into four dimensions – “virtual travel”, “comparative fairness”, “technological innovations” and “ecopolitics” – through which actions towards sustainability in space tourism might be enhanced in different national planning strategies.

Keywords:

• Space tourism
• new space economy
• sustainable tourism development
• virtual travel
• Delphi method

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest is reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Annette Toivonen

Annette Toivonen is a space tourism lecturer at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland. She is currently finalising her world pioneering PhD thesis in sustainable space tourism at the University of Lapland, Finland. She has also gained both a BA Hons (University of Westminster, UK) and MSc (University of Lapland, Finland) in Tourism Research, holds a teacher´s pedagogical qualification and an Extractive Arctic Industries Certificate (The Arctic University of Norway). She will be publishing her own book, Sustainable Space Tourism – An Introduction (Channel View Publications) in the United Kingdom in November 2020 and is also one of the co-authors in “Science Fiction, Disruption and Tourism” book to be published in the United Kingdom. Her research interests include space tourism, sustainability, futurology, arctic tourism and service design.