Identifying risks for success in space tourism: A proactive approach for Türkiye

Effective planning is crucial for the success of any tourism endeavor, including space tourism. To ensure correct and proactive planning, it is essential to identify and address potential threats and weaknesses in advance. This research aims to reveal possible threats to Turkiye's success in the field of space tourism, employing a qualitative research approach with expert interviews. Building on this context, the research adopts a deductive approach, focusing on a qualitative “situation analysis” design, with Türkiye as the universe and sample. Expert opinions from professionals with technical knowledge of space commercialization and tourism were collected using a snowball sampling technique. Through in-depth interviews, the perceived risks were identified and analyzed. The data obtained were coded and categorized, resulting in main themes related to various elements of the external environment, including political, international, legal, economic, social-cultural, demographic, and technological risks, as well as ethical considerations.The findings highlight that space tourism activities, especially suborbital and extraorbital ventures, carry significant risks. To ensure Türkiye's success in space tourism, the study emphasizes the importance of conducting a comprehensive analysis of the external environment, considering the interrelatedness of the identified risk factors.