Exploring prosocial and environmental motivations of frontier tourists: implications for sustainable space tourism
Warwick Frost, Warwick Frost
Abstract
While there are plans for spacecraft to take private travellers to the edge of space, we are yet to see this occur beyond a few individuals. Before this happens in larger numbers, research is needed about the sustainability of private space flight, including potential travellers’ awareness of and views about the environmental implications of their spaceflight. This article aims to address this gap by examining the travel motivations of frontier tourists – those individuals who seek to visit some of the most fragile locations on and off the planet, including outer space – connected to the environmental sustainability of this travel. Given space tourism is a subset of frontier tourism, studying the latter might help us to understand the behaviour of the nascent space tourist. Qualitative interviews with frontier tourists were conducted and analysed using grounded theory techniques. While participants referred to the unspoilt characteristics of places, untainted by human activity, as an integral part of their travel experience, many did not see the paradox inherent in this travel. Some who did referred to prosocial motivations connected to environmental causes and saw themselves as ambassadors for conservation. The article concludes with the implications of these findings for sustainable space tourism.