The Dragons’ Den viewers and investors were stunned as entrepreneurs sought to raise funds for their tourism firm.
They weren’t promoting any regular holiday, but even excursions to the moon.
Barry Shanks and Dave Doughty entered the Den hoping to open up space travel to holidaymakers with their ‘exciting new product’ Rocket Breaks, seeking for £75,000 in total.
They pledged to transport people to space in the same manner that celebrities take private aircraft across the world.
However, there is a catch: it won’t happen anytime soon, and it won’t be as inexpensive as a weekend in Ibiza.
After giving the Dragons toys depicting what they would look like in astronaut suits, the couple announced that they were selling space flight tickets in 2027.
The ‘bespoke’ journeys, which involve ‘a hot air balloon like experience in a pressurised capsule’ with beverages, would cost £125,000, with a £25,000 fully refundable deposit (till the day of launch) required to book a seat.
Explaining what these ‘balloons’ would look like, Dave said: ‘Imagine it being like the lounge in The Dorchester, and it has seating that moves in different directions so you can get different views. It has a bar, it has Wifi, and it goes up at 15mph until you get the curvature of the Earth.’
In order to persuade them, the entrepreneurs compared it to visitors buying safaris through an agency. They intended to receive not just funding from the Dragons, but also their celebrity relationships.
‘They want our black books so that they can sell their space tickets,’ Sara Davies commented.
‘You’re looking for us to introduce you to rich people?’ Steven Bartlett probed.
Dave and Barry were eventually forced to concede defeat after confessing that they had received no bookings and no funding from any of the Dragons.
Viewers were also not convinced.
So, you've got no bookings yet for your space travel……#DragonsDen pic.twitter.com/dMXYdI0yC5
— Sunshine (@SunshineBay1996) March 7, 2024
Looks like they're flogging the Willy Wonka experience of space travel… #DragonsDen
— Anna (@TGAnnaWade) March 7, 2024
My reaction to this space travel pitch #DragonsDen pic.twitter.com/Ng3fbYhjyb
— Andrew McBride (@andrewmcb) March 7, 2024
#dragonsden I once went on dragons den to sell tickets to space pic.twitter.com/FTzY2XT59n
— Ian Bartlett (@IanBartlett_) March 7, 2024
This will be a task on next year's #apprentice. #DragonsDen . Team building moon trip
— jo (@jogo00) March 7, 2024
‘This is a load of crap. Paying £20k deposit for a space travel expedition that will not happen in your lifetime!’ viewer Caroline fumed on X.
Anna penned: ‘Looks like they’re flogging the Willy Wonka experience of space travel…’
Keith added: ‘Why stop at trying to sell non-existing space tourism? Why not offer time travel or shape-shifting? Might as well get in first!’
‘Struggled to even understand what it was about! Sounds a bit bonkers to me but what do I know,’ Retz wrote.
Dragons’ Den airs Thursdays at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
Source My Celebrity Life.