In the contemporary era, space tourism has became an ongoing debate among many individuals, and they claim that such a type of tourism will be fully developed in the future to serve ordinary residents. From my perspective, this development offers far more negative consequences for socio-economic matters than the advantages.
Admittedly, there are several reasons why some people regard space tourism as a positive development. First and foremost, efforts to send people into space accelerate the process of developing scientific and technological advancements, including energy-efficient engines, powerful processors, and cutting-edge artificial intelligences. Therefore, major companies related to this industry, namely SpaceX and GE Aerospace have to compete with each other to solidify their status in the market, thereby promoting not also economy but also scientific breakthroughs. Besides economic growth, space tourism also create employment opportunities for a significant number of residents, since operating this multi-billion dollar tourism industry demands an innovative and high-skilled workforce. As a result, many people tend to secure a higher standard of living and a stable income due to these extremely competitive yet worthwhile professions.
However, I am convinced that these benefits are outweighed by the drawbacks. To begin with, the most crucial reason to justify my standpoint is that this industry requires substantial financial resources just to research and seek optimal solutions to maintain such a costly industry. Additionally, it might be pointless for space agencies to send thousands of people into outer space merely for commercial purposes, not to mention that launching a spacecraft, which regularly contains fewer than 10 people, has cost millions of dollars. Instead of allocating considerable amounts of money and effort to space tourism, governments and private companies could invest in infrastructure around the world and tackle urgent global issues, such as poverty, illiteracy, and terrorism. According to an article on the Times magazine, using only 10% of the funding for the Apollo program could remove worldwide within a few years. Consequently, these investments brings more practical benefits for people, helping them obtain a more comfortable life.
In conclusion, despite the fact that space tourism could promote the economy and provide more occupations for many individuals, I still believe that such a type of tourism is a negative development to some extent, especially when it might not truly enhance people’s overall quality of life, since there have been severa unresolved problems on Earth.