The Space & Underwater Tourism Summit

THE SPACE AND UNDERWATER TOURISM UNIVERSAL SUMMIT TOURISM BEYOND NATURAL BORDERS

Jeff Bezos’ launch into suborbital space aboard the New Shephard rocket ship may have seemed like the stuff dreams are made of; an exciting, inspiring achievement that is light years away for the average tourist. The Space and Underwater Tourism Universal Summit (SUTUS), which will take place from September 22 to 24, seeks to prove that tourism is rising to its two biggest challenges – space and underwater tourism – much faster than expected. Now in its second edition, the event will feature talks by Sam Scimemi (Senior Assistant, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters), Hiroko Asakura (Deputy Director of JAXA, Paris Office), Pascale Ehrenfreund (President of the International Astronautical Federation), and various other experts from the space and underwater tourism industries.

WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LES ROCHES, NASA, AND SHUTTERSTOCK

A HYBRID EVENT

SUTUS will feature two modalities. It will kick off on September 22 at the Les Roches Marbella campus and continue virtually for two days more. Through Medina Media Events (which organised leading top tech and business events such as the 5G Forum and the 4K Summit), individuals and companies can view the conference via live-streaming and engage in B2B discussions with other organisations as well as with the speakers themselves. The aim is for those interested in this type of tourism to learn more about the latest developments in the sector. Two recent milestones achieved just this year include the arrival of probes and robots on Mars from agencies such as NASA, China’s space agency, and that of the United Arab Emirates, and SpaceX’s first private trips to the International Space Station.

LED BY GIANTS

The world’s major space agencies – NASA and ESA – have both agreed to meet once a year at SUTUS to enlighten audiences on their visions and missions, having enjoyed interacting with companies from the Andalusian space sector (which is considered a pioneer in Europe) in the past. Although the 2020 event was cancelled owing to the health crisis, it is back with gusto this year, with the Ministry of Tourism of the Andalusian Regional Government and Tourism and Planning Costa del Sol providing support. The speakers for the underwater tourism part of the event, meanwhile, will hail from a range of countries – including the U.S., France, Italy, and Spain. ›

WORLD-CLASS SPEAKERS

Sam Scimemi boasts over 30 years’ experience in human spaceflight and commenced this part of his career at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas. He has taken part in various NASA projects such as Shuttle, Hubble, Space Station, SOFIA, NPP, and more. He is currently working on the Moon Mars project, applying his expertise to the safety of manned missions.

Hiroko Asakura, meanwhile, will be speaking on Japan’s latest efforts at fostering space tourism. Japan is currently taking part in NASA’s Artemis project, which will see the first Japanese man and woman land on the moon and Japanese magnate Yusaku Maezawa hopes to be the first space tourist to make this fascinating voyage. The entrepreneur has invited eight more persons to form part of an expedition that will lift off in 2023 aboard a SpaceX ship.

The Artemis project is groundbreaking in many ways, with NASA stating that it will “land the first woman and first person of colour on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.” Artemis will also see NASA collaborating with international partners from across the globe, gleaning information for its next giant leap: sending astronauts to Mars. NASA hopes to build sustainable elements on and around the Moon, permitting both astronauts and robots to engage in deeper explorations and “conduct more science than ever before.”

DIVING INTO THE DEEP

SUTUS will set its sight on more than the stars. It will also be devoted to underwater tourism and other projects such as Senda Azul de la Costa del Sol (‘the Blue Track of the Costa del Sol’). The latter was launched by the Diputación de Málaga and seeks to highlight the touristic value contained in 180km of underwater habitats. The Diputación hopes to boost accessibility to underwater archaeological sites, coral reefs, and sunken ships – some of which hail back to Greek or imperial Roman times. Battles that have left their mark beneath our waters include the Battle of Lepanto and the Second World War. The project also includes the construction of artificial reefs and nautical bases, meant to attract high-end tourists and to help preserve the integrity and life of underwater resources, flora, and fauna.

LES ROCHES STUDENTS IN ATTENDANCE

SUTUS will be attended (in person or online) by hundreds of Les Roches students and alumni who have studied at the school’s campuses in Shanghai (China), Crans Montana (Switzerland), and Marbella. They hail from over 100 countries and form part of a 13,000-strong community. Most graduates obtain employment at some of the world’s top luxury hotels though others have launched their own initiatives. The Les Roches Marbella campus will also be hosting an exhibition focusing on tourism and the advances made by new technologies.

SPACE TOURISM ISN’T AS ELUSIVE AS IT SEEMS

SUTUS will be celebrating the progress of new types of tourism that appeal to those with a thirst for adventure. Its supporters – including the Director of the COPE radio station’s La Linterna, Ángel Expósito – believe that it “isn’t as crazy as it seems.” Expósito recently interviewed the CEO of Les Roches Marbella, Carlos Díez de la Lastra. The latter stated, “We are a lot closer than people think to expanding our limits. ›

Carlos Díez de la Lastra

It’s so much easier now and we don’t truly appreciate the scope of the achievements made by Spanish explorers during a time in which everything was more difficult.” He is pleased to find that Andalucía is fast becoming a hub for those specialising in this type of cutting-edge tourism: “Currently, leading agencies in the race for luxury space and underwater tourism are gathering in Marbella and past expeditions to America (aimed at discovering) the New World also commenced in Andalucía.”

If you think you have what it takes to reach for the stars or explore the depths of the sea, register for the online event between now and September 21 on www.sutusummit. com. You can also sign up for SUTUS’ newsletter for pertinent updates. e

Sam Scimemi at SUTUS Dennis Tito (left), the world’s first space tourist

FUN FACTS ABOUT SPACE AND UNDERWATER TOURISM

The space tourism industry plans to offer clients far more than suborbital flights. Russian space organisation Roscosmos, for instance, plans to send two clients into space in 2023; one of them will take part in a spacewalk. Z Canadian billionaire, Cirque du Soleil Guy Laliberté, paid $35 million in 2009 to spend almost 11 days in outer space. He spent two days in orbit and more than eight on the International Space Station (ISS). When asked if he would do it again, he responded enthusiastically: “That moment they light the fuse under your ass, it’s a sense of total freedom, because I knew then nobody could get me out and no phone call could modify what I was doing there.” U.S. millionaire Dennis Tito, who became the world’s first space tourist in 2009, described the experience as “eight days of euphoria.” Z Space tourism is still a very costly affair. Virgin Galactic sold its first few tickets for $200,000 to $250,000 each and it has warned that prices will increase in the future. Z Some of the most popular underwater voyages are those taken within a submarine. Companies like Atlantis Submarine Tours have been conducting family-friendly tours through the Caribbean, Hawaii, Guam, and many more aquatic paradises. Z If you are into novel cultural experiences, why not visit an underwater museum? One of the newest is the Alonissos Underwater Museum (near Alonissos island in the Aegean), opened in Summer 2020. This museum contains a 5th-century B.C. shipwreck and features a plethora of ancient artefacts surrounded by colourful schools of fish.