TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY,DESTINATION AND TOURISM
Space Perspective | November 16, 2022
Space Perspective unveiled MS Voyager – the world’s first Marine Spaceport for human spaceflight, and the first in a planned fleet of this new class of spaceports globally. Spaceports are sites for launching and receiving spacecraft. Now with the capacity to launch from marine-based sites around the world, in addition to launching from land on Florida’s Space Coast, Space Perspective becomes the first global space travel experience company, offering safe and sustainable journeys to the edge of space from where Explorers live and play.The name Voyager is an homage to the Voyager 1 Space Probe mission which, on astronomer Carl Sagan’s request, took a photo of Earth from across the solar system on February 14th, 1990. That photo, now known iconically as the Pale Blue Dot, inspired Sagan’s book of the same name and his call for humans to “preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known” – words that reverberate through Space Perspective’s mission today.
“Space Perspective will change your relationship with our planet by providing the quintessential astronaut experience of viewing Earth from the blackness of space, It’s imperative for us to think about our business with a global mindset. Removing geographic borders for launch and landing accelerates our mission of making this transformative experience more accessible to the world and international marketplace – safely, reliably and with minimal impact on our planet.”
-Jane Poynter, Space Perspective’s Founder and Co-CEO
Plans are underway to integrate marine-based launches into marquee global events, and conversations are active with several potential destinations across the globe to offer Explorers an awe-inspiring view of some of the world’s most iconic geography.
We always imagined offering the opportunity to view the most incredible natural phenomena from space, including the Northern Lights, the boot of Italy, the sheer scale of the Nile Delta, and the deep blue seas around the Bahamas. Marine Spaceports like MS Voyager make this a reality, said Poynter.
MS Voyager and future Space Perspective Marine Spaceports give the company the operational flexibility needed to grow its business more quickly to reach a supply-constrained global market for commercial space travel that analysts recently estimated could reach over $8 billion by 2030[1]. Marine Spaceports create ideal launch conditions in two ways: by navigating to areas of good weather, which allows for year-round operations within a region, and by moving with the sea breeze, so there is virtually no wind across the deck. This enables more frequent launch opportunities, as well as more options for the time of day, including sunrise and sunset nighttime stargazing flights for Explorers.
“This is another important milestone and a proud moment for the Space Perspective crew both in terms of pioneering engineering and the ability to scale our offer quickly, globally. We are grateful to our extended crew of dynamic, best-in-class operational partners,”
-Space Perspective’s Founder, Co-CEO and CTO Taber MacCallum.
Acquired from one of the world’s premier shipbuilders, Edison Chouest Offshore, MS Voyager’s marine operations will be supported by Guice Offshore. The 292-foot-long vessel, which will call Port Canaveral its home, is now being outfitted for launch, retrieval, and SpaceBalloon™ operations at Conrad Shipyard -- preparations for which were provided by Gulf Ship. In keeping with Space Perspective’s environmentally conscious ethos, offsets will be provided by Cool Effects, and the vessel itself is being retrofitted to use biofuel to reduce its carbon footprint.
When it’s time to come back to Earth at the end of the journey in Spaceship Neptune’s pressurized capsule, a patent-pending splash-cone at its base provides a smooth and gentle water landing. Fast boats from Fluid Watercraft will then arrive to stabilize the capsule, which will be lifted onto the Marine Spaceport by a custom-built A-frame provided by Supreme Integrated Technologies. Communications throughout the operation – between land, sea, and capsule – will be provided by Silvus Technologies, utilizing military-grade StreamCaster MANET radios and MN-MIMO waveform technology.
We've always believed in Space Perspective's mission and the experience they are bringing to the world through human spaceflight. Unlocking the ability to scale globally with the addition of Marine Spaceports only strengthens the proposition and the power of the company to change people's lives and the future of our planet, said Brandon Ross, General Partner of LightShed Ventures, a major Space Perspective investor.
MS Voyager will begin operations in the New Year, aligned to Space Perspective’s planned test flights that commence in early 2023. Space Perspective has sold over 1,000 tickets to date. Tickets are available to reserve now at their current price of $125,000 at SpacePerspective.com.
For more information, visit SpacePerspective.com. Follow Space Perspective for updates on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube. Experience the capsule interior here.
About Space Perspective
Space Perspective is the world’s only carbon-neutral luxury spaceflight experience company. It invites more people than has historically been possible to experience a thrillingly new and visceral perspective that expands the human consciousness – the incredibly exhilarating panoramas and scale of Earth in space. The Observer cited Space Perspective as "the best suborbital space tourism offering in the world." Setting a new bar in out-of-this-world thrilling experiences, as soon as late 2024 Space Perspective plans to take Space Explorers to space inside Spaceship Neptune’s pressurized capsule propelled by a high-performance SpaceBalloonTM without using rocket fuel or high G forces. Space Explorers see the world anew through its vast windows, 450 miles in any direction. The ultra-comfortable, accessible, and gentle six-hour journey redefines space travel. Space Perspective is led by industry luminaries Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum and their unique-in-the-world expert crew who have been integral to all human SpaceBalloonTM flights, and marine launches over the last 50 years. Building on that experience, the Space Perspective crew has innovated and patented the safest spaceflight experience in the world. Poynter and MacCallum have been dubbed ‘Masters of the stratosphere’ by Bloomberg Businessweek. MacCallum also served as Chairman of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.
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DESTINATION AND TOURISM,INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
Trip.com | November 14, 2022
Booking data from international one-stop travel service provider, Trip.com, shows how transatlantic travel has taken off in the last year.
In the year since the US re-opened its borders to international global travellers, Trip.com has seen a travel boom, when comparing booking stats from October 2021 to October 2022.
US hotel bookings made by British travellers have increased by 382% during the 12 months, while European hotel bookings by US travellers have increased by 111%.
Meanwhile, flight bookings from Europe to the US have increased by 67%, indicating the enduring appeal of the US, despite the pandemic, as well as revived demand for long-haul travel.
"The US has bounced back to resume its place as one of the most popular destinations for UK travellers according to analysis of Trip.com data"
-Andy Washington, Trip.com Group EMEA General Manager
Despite the drop in the value of the pound compared to the US dollar, America continues to attract Brits in large numbers eager to explore North America and reunite with friends and families.
Rich Sun, Trip.com Group General Manager for the Americas, said: "Americans have once again returned to Europe, as evidenced by Trip.com data which shows a 111% surge in European hotel bookings from the US.
European destinations have become attractive for US holidaymakers and business travellers looking to cash-in on favourable exchange rates.
In addition to the jump in flight bookings, the average booking value of flights from Europe to the US has increased by 20% since October 2021.
Regarding routes from Europe to the US, New York was a top-performing destination, with flights from London, Paris, Milan, Madrid, and Barcelona ranked as the top five, and Manchester-New York as the sixth most popular booked flight route between Europe and the US.
Over a third of travellers booking flights from Europe to the US came from the UK (39%), followed by Spain in second place (17%), Italy in third place (14%), followed in fourth place by France (12%) and Germany in fifth (11%).
The most popular US cities for European flyers were New York, followed by Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Orlando.
On average, each month in the last year has seen an 18% rise in Brits booking US hotels.
New York was the most popular city for booking British travellers, followed by Las Vegas in second place, Los Angeles in third, Orlando in fourth and Miami in fifth position.
The average booking value of Americans on European hotels has increased by nearly a quarter (23%) in the last year.
The UK was the most popular European country for hotel and flight bookings by US travellers.
Paris was the most popular European destination for hotel bookings by US travellers, followed by London and Rome.
About Trip.com
Trip.com is an international one-stop travel service provider, available in 20 languages across 27 countries and regions in 31 local currencies and sites. Trip.com has an extensive hotel and flight network consisting of more than 1.2 million hotels and flights from over 480 airlines covering 2,600 airports in 200 countries and regions around the globe. Trip.com's world-class 24/7 multilingual customer service as well as additional centres in Edinburgh, Tokyo and Seoul, help to 'create the best travel experience' for its millions of customers worldwide. To book your next trip, visit trip.com
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HOSPITALITY TRENDS
Lodging Dynamics Hospitality Group | December 13, 2022
Lodging Dynamics Hospitality Group (Lodging Dynamics), a leading hotel management company, has been appointed to manage The Charter Hotel Seattle, Curio Collection by Hilton (Charter Hotel). This appointment expands Lodging Dynamic's presence in the Seattle market.
"We are thrilled to add this beautiful, one-of-a-kind hotel to our management portfolio, The Charter Hotel, with its prime location, spectacular rooftop bar views, and other first-class amenities, makes it a tremendous addition to our management portfolio,"
-Jamie Caraher, Lodging Dynamics president and CEO
The Charter Hotel is located near many of Seattle's most popular attractions. Pike Place Market, The Convention Center, Seattle Aquarium, Pier 66, and Pine Street – home to some of Seattle's best shopping and restaurants are all within short walking distance.
The 229-room Charter Hotel features luxury guest rooms and two upscale dining experiences: the Fog Room (a rooftop lounge with water and skyline views featuring a contemporary food and beverage service) and Patagōn (a modern, gourmet, upscale Argentine restaurant featuring locally sourced fish, meat, and vegetables). In addition, the hotel features more than 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
The Charter Hotel Seattle, Curio Collection by Hilton participates in the award-winning Hilton Honors travel program representing 6,700 hotels worldwide. For more information about the Charter Hotel or to book a room, call (206) 256-7500 or visit https://www.thecharterseattle.com.
About Lodging Dynamics
Based in Provo, Utah, Lodging Dynamics Hospitality Group is a nationally recognized, award-winning operator of premium-brand, select service, and extended-stay hotels and one of a few third-party operators approved by Marriott and Hilton. Founded in 1991 after developing the first Marriott franchise in Utah, Lodging Dynamics continues its long history by providing award-winning operating services for hotels throughout the continental United States and Hawaii. The company has managed hotels in the Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and IHG premium-brand families. For more information, visit www.lodgingdynamics.com.
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