| Fairfax,
Va., March 9, 2006 – One of the early visionaries of
the space tourism industry—Omega World Travel President
and CEO Gloria Bohan—applauds the recent government
recognition of the field, but says that entrepreneurs have
been the major reason behind the advent of commercial passenger
space travel and not any official pronouncement.
After the Federal Aviation Administration’s December
release of human space flight requirements and last month’s
announcement by the Secretary of Transportation that licensing
for spacecraft to carry commercial passengers could happen
as early as 2008, Gloria Bohan is encouraged, but somewhat
pragmatic about where the impetus for space tourism lies.
“Entrepreneurial endeavors like ZERO-G Weightless Flights
and the X PRIZE Foundation have blazed the trail of space
tourism,” she said. “Others are playing catch-up,
but it’s gratifying to witness this new government focus,
though it was anticipated long ago.”
Zero Gravity Corporation, or ZERO-G (GoZeroG.com), is a privately
held space entertainment and tourism company making the adventure
of space accessible to the public through providing weightless
flights. The X PRIZE Foundation (Xprize.org) provided the
financial reward and motivation for the first non-government
human spaceflight.
“Gloria Bohan is a travel industry innovator who has
been actively involved in the space tourism movement for the
past decade,” said Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, Chairman
& CEO of X Prize and ZERO-G. “I first met her at
a 1997 NASA workshop when she gave a keynote speech on the
future of space travel. Her ability to connect the traditional
tourism field with space travel is very unique.”
In a recent Travel Agent Magazine cover story about commercial
passenger space travel, Space Tourism Society founder John
Spencer noted, “When Gloria [Bohan] got involved, it
was a transitional moment for the early space tourism movement,
because she was from a profession outside of the space industry.
Her credibility and voice added to the potential.”
Bohan said in the same December, 2005 article that the burgeoning
field must gain momentum with travel agents at the grassroots
level. “It is going to take creativity on the part of
the agent,” she said. “There is a wealth of interesting
people out there, [flight] museums, and [space] centers…that
agents should get to know as a unique kind of product. It’s
definitely a new opportunity, but it’s going to take
work…”
Along with offering customized travel solutions to businesses
all over the world, Gloria Bohan’s organization Omega
World Travel (OmegaTravel.com) books ZERO-G Weightless Flights
and other unique adventure travel experiences.
“For everyone devoted to the travel field, there is
no way to escape the excitement of the future of space tourism,”
Bohan said. “Continuing to take the right steps to space
will ensure that this ultimate travel experience becomes a
reality.”
About Omega World Travel
Recognized in the diversity field as the nation’s top
woman-owned business, Fairfax, Va.-based Omega World Travel
(OmegaTravel.com) was launched by Founder and President Gloria
Bohan as an independent travel agency in 1972. Now ranked
by Business Travel News as the number two travel management
company in the U.S., over 1100 employees provide online travel
solutions—as well as personalized service at 200 locations
worldwide—to a diverse clientele: from individual leisure
travelers to Fortune 500 enterprises and the federal government.
Omega World Travel owns TravTech Inc. (TravTech.com), a travel
technology provider, and Cruise.com, the Internet’s
largest cruise specialist.
Contact:
Michael Jordan
Omega World Travel
703-359-0200
michaeljordan@owt.net
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