Low-Cost Space Travel

Private companies like Virgin Galactic and XCOR picked up the torch and announced they’ll start sending tourists on suborbital flights in the next two years from New Mexico and the Mojave Desert. Unfortunately, anybody wanting to reach for the stars will have to cough up a cosmic $250,000 for Virgin or $100,000 for XCOR – putting space travel beyond the reach of average mortals.

But there’s hope: New companies have arrived on the commercial spaceflight scene and say that affordable spacial travel is possible within our lifetime.

With the motto “Space for all,” Swiss Space Systems (S3) hopes to democratize access to the final frontier by offering affordable suborbital manned trips to the border of space within the next 10 years.

Space might be the stuff of dreams, but it’s also a rock-solid business opportunity. The research firm Utron puts the value of the “space tourism” market by 2021 at $700 million a year. With such profitable prospects, the low-cost space race is quickly gaining contenders, including the Danish Copenhagen Suborbital and the British Bristol Spaceplanes.

The newcomers may be a few steps behind Virgin and XCOR, but they seem more than ready to play the long game if it means giving customers an out-of-this-world experience at a manageable price of about $30,000.

To stay up to date on the latest developments in the Travel and Tourism industry, The Industry Report Store has a fantastic range of market intelligence to provide your business with the tools to succeed. To browse our Travel and Tourism reports, click here.

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Industry Report Store is one of the world’s most comprehensive libraries of market intelligence, with the perfect report for every business need at every budget. Business information is paramount for companies seeking to stay ahead amid challenging economic conditions and intense competition. Contact us today to take advantage of our premium intelligence insights and keep up with your industry competitors.

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Ettyenne Guimaraes

Marketing

T: +44(0)20 3220 0811
M: ettyenne.guimaraes@progressivemediagroup.com

Headquarters: John Carpenter House, John Carpenter Street | London, EC4Y 0AN, United Kingdom

Sit back and relax

Google has been building self-driving cars for years, but what we've seen so far has always been retrofits of existing cars — until now. The search giant unveiled on Tuesday a fully autonomous self-driving car, built from the ground up by Google and its partners.

Company co-founder Sergey Brin revealed his plans at Recode's Code Conference in southern California. He told the media that there's a safety benefit in a custom-built self-driving car. Because the car doesn't have a steering wheel, accelerator or brakes, it has more sensors in strategic spots than is possible in a regular vehicle. It is also equipped with a big "stop" button. In addition, Google's autonomous car even includes internal power steering and power brakes.

As for when the cars (which are significantly smaller than traditional cars and include couch-like seating)—might actually make it to real highways, Google will soon test them with drivers and hope to see them on the roads "Within a couple of years.”

What do you think of Google’s latest creation? Could you trust a driverless car on the road? Would this ever realistically make it to market or is it another publicity stunt?

To stay up to date on the latest developments in the technology industry, The Industry Report Store has a fantastic range of market intelligence to provide your business with the tools to succeed. To browse our technology reports, click here.

About Industry Report Store:

Industry Report Store is one of the world’s most comprehensive libraries of market intelligence, with the perfect report for every business need at every budget. Business information is paramount for companies seeking to stay ahead amid challenging economic conditions and intense competition. Contact us today to take advantage of our premium intelligence insights and keep up with your industry competitors.

Social media is now integral to successful business relationships. Connect with us to be the first to find out about exclusive offers and get involved with the latest industry discussions.

Hung Yuen

Marketing

T: +44(0)20 3220 0811
M: hung.yuen@progressivemediagroup.com

Headquarters: John Carpenter House, John Carpenter Street | London, EC4Y 0AN, United Kingdom

Why Is Cuba's Tourism Opening Up?

Why Is Cuba's Tourism Opening Up?

The historic handshake between Cuban leader Raul Castro and his US counter-part Barack Obama at Mandela’s funeral represented a shifting trend of openness between the two former foes. Within the past year Cuba’s travel & tourism attractiveness has drastically been enhanced by such events and is turning into a fashionable destination.

The budding US market

Timetric calculates that Cuba recorded a 33% increase in arrivals from the US in 2012. This is largely due to restrictions being lifted and great PR in the form of the hip-hop king and queen, Jay-Z and Beyonce, venturing to Cuba’s stunning shores for their wedding anniversary.

Built for the tourist trade

Even people who live in paradise have to work, and in Cuba they work in tourism. According to the latest figures, 10% of Cuba’s workforce is employed in its vital tourism industry.

Demonstrates why tourists are
flocking to Cuban shores

Such reliance has stimulated the government to open up and encourage capital investment across the sectors. One such example is the creation of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) around the port of Mariel. This will entice foreign business as it will allow companies to transfer their profits without paying taxes.

Airlines flying high 

Cuba’s infrastructure is developing with demand. In order to deal with the larger influx of tourists, Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Brazil in 2012 to develop and modernize airport infrastructure. This deal is great news for airlines and reflects a growing bond between the two nations.

Making more room at the inn

Foreign investment is fuelling ambitious resorts plans. Cuba and China are collaborating to build The Luxe Havana Hotel Complex Development project by 2016. It will cost US$117 million, of which 51% is funded by Chinese capital and 49% by Cuban.  

With rewards of high employment rates and injections of foreign capital, Cuba is clearly opening up its borders to both tourists and international business. To make the most of the theses opportunities, Industry Report Store has provided you with the latest data and analysis for all of Cuba’s industries and tourists requirements, ranging from the airlines they use, to the cars they rent, to the hotels they stay in.

The reports go into granular detail to give you the ability to fully comprehend whether Cuba is the right direction for your business.

If you wish to know more about these reports, please click on the appropriate links below.    

Travel Intermediaries

Hotels

Airlines

Car Rental

Timetric in association with Industry Report Store:

Industry Report Store is one of the world’s most comprehensive libraries of market intelligence, with the perfect report for every business need at every budget. Business information is paramount for companies seeking to stay ahead amid challenging economic conditions and intense competition. Contact us today to take advantage of our premium intelligence insights and keep up with your industry competitors.

Gurveer Vasir
Marketing ExecutiveT: +44 (0) 203 220 0806
E: gurveer.vasir@uk.timetric.com
W: www.timetric.com