Orbital and sub-orbital space tourism: motivation, constraint and artificial intelligence

Abstract

Purpose There is limited research on the behavior of different categories of space tourists as identified by different types of space tourism. To address this deficiency, the purpose of this study is to examine what factors make consumers participate in orbital and/or suborbital space tourism, along with three dimensions of motivation, constraint and artificial intelligence. To achieve this study’s goals, a comprehensive research model was developed that included three dimensions of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, intrapersonal and interpersonal constraint and awareness of and trust in artificial intelligence, in comparing orbital and suborbital space tourism groups. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was carried out with respondents who wanted to participate in orbital (n = 332) and suborbital (n = 332) space tourism in the future. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, multi-group analysis and deep learning were used to understand potential space tourist behavior. Findings Extrinsic motivation has the greatest positive impact on behavioral intention, followed by awareness of and trust in artificial intelligence, while intrapersonal constraint strongly negatively affects behavioral intention. Surprisingly, interpersonal constraint is insignificant by partial least squares-structural equation modeling but is still one of sufficient causal configurations by fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. Interestingly, the two types of space tourism have very distinct characteristics. Originality/value This study created a comprehensive integrated research model with three dimensions of motivation, constraint and artificial intelligence, along with potential orbital and suborbital space tourist groups, to identify future consumer behavior. Importantly, this study used multi-analysis methods using four different approaches to better shed light on potential orbital and suborbital space tourists.

Effects of Value-Belief-Norm Theory, ESG, and AI on Space Tourist Behavior for Sustainability With Three Types of Space Tourism

“…M. J. Kim, Hall, Kwon, Hwang, and Kim (2023) found that extrinsic motivation and trust in AI significantly boost consumers' intentions to participate in both orbital and suborbital space tourism, while intrapersonal constraints negatively affect these intentions, highlighting distinct differences between the two forms of space tourism. According to an Extended Model of Goal-Directed Behavior for space tourism, individual interventions had a significant effect on all model constructs, but organizational interventions exert a partial impact, thereby influencing behavioral intention differently depending on experience levels (M. J.…”

“…In recent years, researchers have examined consumer behavior in relation to different types of space tourism (M. J. Kim, Hall, Kwon, Hwang, & Kim, 2023; M. J. Kim, Hall, Kwon, Sohn, & Kim, 2023;Mehran et al, 2023;Paladini & Saha, 2023).…”

“…Given the rapid growth of space tourism and related environmental concerns, such as climate change, emissions, and space debris, there is an urgent need to understand the factors influencing the sustainable behavior of potential space tourists (M. J. Kim, Hall, Kwon, Hwang, & Kim, 2023; M. J. Kim, Hall, Kwon, Sohn, & Kim, 2023).…”

“…Kim & Hall, 2022b; M. J. Kim, Hall, Kwon, Hwang, & Kim, 2023; M. J. Kim, Hall, Kwon, Sohn, & Kim, 2023).…”

Charting the progress of technology adoption in tourism and hospitality in the era of industry 4.0

“…Search engines (Carvalho and Ivanov, 2024) and social media (Azevedo, 2021) are two of the most important information sources for making such judgements. The pervasiveness and powerful computational capability of mobile technology (O’Connor, 2023), when combined with AI algorithms on the basis of tourists’ behavioural characteristics (Li et al ., 2021), make it possible for tourists to easily access information (Gonzalez et al ., 2020), book online services or even make impromptu purchases (Kim et al ., 2024).…”