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Destination marketing... space offers consumers another choice 

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Destination marketing... space offers consumers another choice 

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Scott Tingle/Courtesy NASA

That doesn't include the tens of millions you'll need to spend on the rocket launch to get there.

Antarctica used to be one of the most remote destinations on travelers' bucket lists, but there will soon be an even more exclusive club to join. On June 7, NASA announced its intention to open up the International Space Station to tourists. For the last two decades, astronauts from 18 countries have lived aboard the research facility, which orbits the earth at an altitude of about 250 miles. As early as 2020, private companies will be able to send private astronauts-or space tourists-on a vacation of a lifetime as part of an initiative to have "U.S. industry innovation and ingenuity ... accelerate a thriving commercial economy in low-Earth orbit," according to a NASA press release.

For scientists, this commercialization means that they'll soon be able to perform their own experiments and conduct their own research aboard the ISS without having to participate in specific NASA programs. But the opportunity is also available to travelers with deep pockets who are itching for a new experience. Unlike most scientists, who will only send up research equipment given the exorbitant cost of a private astronaut mission, the ultra-wealthy will be able to visit the ISS themselves.

The precise logistics of sending up private astronauts is still to be determined, but NASA does know that it won't be selling space vacations itself-instead, it'll rely on private companies to create the specific programming, almost as if they were tour operators. "This is the beginning of the process, so NASA is soliciting input [from private companies]," says NASA public affairs officer Stephanie Schierholz. "We did conduct 12 commercial studies that say there is interest in private astronaut missions."

That demand is pretty clear, given the push by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic to develop their own spacecraft for tourists. But those trips to space will be more like a roller coaster ride, simply launching passengers across the boundary between the lower atmosphere and space, where they will hover in zero-gravity for a few minutes before they head back to earth. A trip to the ISS, however, could last up to 30 days.

As of now, NASA is allowing up to two private astronaut missions to the ISS per year using spacecraft designed by its Commercial Crew program, like SpaceX's Dragon and Boeing's CST-100 Starliner. The cost per night per person to stay aboard the ISS-or the room rate, if you will-will be approximately $35,000 per night, which accounts for the cost of life support systems, including the toilet, as well as supplies like food. There will be extra fees for Wi-Fi and even "baggage," or what NASA calls a Cargo Transfer Bag Equivalent. But that rate doesn't include "airfare," that is, the price of a rocket launch and return flight to earth, which will likely cost about $60 million per person. (For reference, NASA has recently paid Russia's Roscosmos space agency more than $80 million per seat on a Soyuz spacecraft.)

Interestingly, this isn't the ISS's first experience with hospitality. Between 2000 and 2009, a company called Space Adventures partnered with Roscosmos to bring seven tourists to the station, each of whom reportedly paid between $20 million and $40 million to fly in a spare seat on a Soyuz spacecraft and spend one to two weeks orbiting the earth. That program ended after the space shuttle program was scuttled in 2011, as each seat to space was needed for government-employed astronauts. But as of 2017, Roscosmos indicated it, too, was interested in restarting its space tourism programs, though the first private cosmonauts aren't scheduled to arrive on the ISS until 2021, after NASA's private astronauts.

Ultimately, one of the main goals of the program is to offset the cost of running the ISS-about $3 billion to $4 billion per year-as NASA shifts its spending from the aging station to moon and Mars missions. But it's also a study in creating a viable space tourism industry, which means there's a chance we might see independent space hotels orbiting the earth very soon.

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You Can Soon Vacation in Space for $35,000 Per Night

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Scott Tingle/Courtesy NASA That doesn't include the tens of millions you'll need to spend on the rocket launch to get there. Antarctica used to be one of the most remote destinations on travelers' bucket lists, but there will soon be an even more exclusive club to join.

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VANCOUVER -- Uber is up and running in a relatively large section of Metro Vancouver, but residents of communities like Langley, Maple Ridge and Tsawwassen say they feel left out, with no ride-hailing businesses operating in the area.

The North Shore, the Tri-Cities, Burnaby, Surrey, Richmond and Delta are all some getting service, and Lyft is operating in what it calls the "core" of Vancouver, plus YVR.

Some customers living in Surrey reported service issues Friday, as portions of the city were not in Uber's operating radius.

"Surrey needs Uber. Please, please, please hurry up," said Surrey resident Jason Lee.

He was just one of many people in the city voicing their frustrations about the rollout of ride-hailing.

"Surrey's residents and Surrey's businesses want it. Why isn't in place right now?" said Anita Huberman, CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade.

The delays are being blamed on a shortage of drivers and red tape.

Many cities are waiting for the TransLink Mayors' Council to release its inter-municipal business licence.

"We expect at the end of January or early in February, that the regional approach to regulation, we'll be able to announce the details on that," said Jonathan Cote, chair of the TransLink Mayors' Council.

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum said he's not on board.

"Until I am assured that a level playing field is established, I will not be supporting the issuing of ride-hailing business licenses," the mayor said in a statement.

Cote said it's not that simple.

"A city actually can't refuse to issue a business license," he explained.

Any cities without a license requirement would fall under the provincial legislation.

"The other option though is the city could put its own regulations that might be too burdensome for a ride-hailing company, and in that case the ride-hailing company may choose not to operate in that city," Cote told CTV News.

Those who support the service are worried that patchwork policy across the region could lead to companies pulling out.

"We are the last jurisdiction in North America to get ridesharing, and our made in B.C. solution turns out to be the Mickey Mouse solution," said Dylan Kruger, a Delta city councillor.

Cote said operators who don't get a business licence in cities that require them will only be able to drop passengers off.

They will likely not be allowed to pick up any additional customers, which is a similar policy to what taxi drivers face when crossing over a city boundary, potentially making those trips less profitable and less desirable for drivers.

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Doug McCallum maintains ride-hailing services still not welcome in Surrey

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VANCOUVER -- Uber is up and running in a relatively large section of Metro Vancouver, but residents of communities like Langley, Maple Ridge and Tsawwassen say they feel left out, with no ride-hailing businesses operating in the area.

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Los Angeles tourism targets Australian millennials

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Cuba After the Castros: Economy relies heavily on tourism industry

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What is the effect?

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Canada-China political dispute impacting B.C.'s tourism

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The Future is incredible

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EHL's session on personalized travel with YU Anywhere