Space tourism: What is it and how will it be regulated?

The idea of spending your annual leave as a space tourist is no longer as farfetched as it once was. Space tourism has been defined as "any commercial activity offering customers direct or indirect experience with space travel", and also as "flights of humans intended to enter outer space (a) at their own expense or that of another private person or entity, (b) conducted by private entities, or (c) both". Space tourism activities essentially fall into two main categories: orbital (such as visits to the International Space Station) and suborbital (which involve short duration space flights that are essentially straight up and down, with passengers experiencing microgravity for a few minutes before returning to Earth).