This book benefits those interested in space tourism for doing business, conducting research, and teaching space services. The value chain analysis approach is applied to construct the knowledge system of the space industry from suppliers, consumers, agents, and related stakeholders. Space tourism has made a breakthrough in travel boundaries beyond Kármán line and impacted human living in many aspects, especially a vision of Mars immigration. The tourism industry has extended its reach to outer space. Space education has been popular in many countries because of human capital to serve in the new field. Researchers have developed unique methodologies to study space economic behaviors. The advancements in space technology and commercialization have formed a new market to drive a new era of space economics. Individuals can now venture beyond the Kármán line and fulfill their desire for space exploration through space tourism. This form of tourism offers a unique opportunity for individuals to explore the origins and limitations of human beings. This book provides an overview of the current state of global space tourism development, including its characteristics, direct and indirect stakeholders, and existing challenges. The successful implementation of space tourism cases by private enterprises in Europe and the USA offers valuable insights into China's space tourism endeavors. Given China's leading position in global space technology, space tourism represents a promising commercial development field that can benefit the country and its citizens.
Dr. Peng is an associate professor at the City University of Macau and has devoted himself to studying sustainable space tourism since 2021, with good publications and research awards. He was a visiting professor at Nankai University and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He served as a visiting scholar at the University of Pittsburgh, USA; RWTH Aachen University, Germany; University of Strathclyde, UK; and Syracuse University, USA. He has contributed to service science and new interdisciplinary research in space tourism.
Dr. IokTeng Esther Kou is an assistant professor of Faculty of International Tourism and Management at City University of Macau. Her research interests include sustainable tourism development, well-being studies, transformative tourism experience, social commerce, and smart tourism. Her publications appear in scholarly journals such as Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Leisure Sciences, Tourism Management Perspectives, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Information Technology & Tourism, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research and more.
Dr. Hong Chen is an assistant professor of Institute for Research on Portuguese-speaking countries. Her research interests are in area studies, Portuguese-speaking countries and Macao, intercultural studies, and cultural tourism.
