Touring the world might sound like an exciting plan, though it loses some of its charm when compared to the future tourism trend: Visiting outer space.
You'd think tourism trips to space are years away, you really would ... but they're not.
In fact, a few Emiratis and expats in the UAE just bought tickets sold by Virgin Galactic, the world's first registered commercial space airline, and are set to board a 90-minute outer universe flight next year.
The tickets were bought at an event held as part of the ongoing >Dubai Airshow, a one of a kind aerospace event that wraps up on Thursday. How much did each passenger pay for their ticket, you may ask? A whopping $250,000 for a single pass and a spacesuit to wear for the trip.
Well, at least no luggage is needed and surely no spare outfits for a spontaneous fine-dining experience.
A sample of the special spacesuit was put on display at the Dubai Airshow and was signed by none other than Dubai's Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum during his visit to the event on Sunday.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, head of communications at Virgin Galactic Aleanna Crane said that over 600 customers from 60 countries have already signed up for flights to space. They include people from the UAE, namely Dubai.
Crane added that the region is very engaged in the space sector and that's especially true when it comes to the UAE.
The country is striding ahead of its neighbors in the field and is heavily investing in it via firms like Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala, which owns a third of Virgin Galactic. The UAE has also spent years backing up its national >Astronaut Program, which in 2018 selected two astronauts, Hazaa Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Neyadi, and trained them to launch into space.
In September, Al Mansouri became the >UAE's first-ever astronaut to make a trip to the outer universe.
The UAE has long been aiming for space
In 2014, the country officially established a Space Agency and set an ambitious goal of launching a> probe to Mars. Two years later, the Gulf state and NASA >signed a deal to work together to reach the Red Planet.
Not having enough of Mars, the country set up the Emirates Mars Mission in 2016, which plans to send an unmanned spacecraft to explore Mars in 2020. The journey is expected to take seven months.
One year later, the UAE >announced its plans to build the first-ever city on Mars ... in about 100 years. The Mars 2117 project is part of a 100-year national program that focuses on spearheading scientific breakthroughs like the renowned Mars Mission.