In article Alain Fournier writes:

No. There isn't an overwhelming public support for suborbital flights.
Yet suborbital flights have recently become an existing business.
The same can happen for Mars travel. More likely, it will be the
suborbital flights business that will slowly evolve into a broader
space flight business.

I can't really see THAT happening. There just isn't growth potential
in suborbital flights, which never actually go anywhere and do not
require (or feature) the sort of technology that is needed to go places.
In fact, diverting money and interest to suborbital tourism will
probably *lessen* interest in "real" spaceflight...

Manned suborbital flights don't create profit that would feed relevant
subcontractors (besides some small-scale model airplane firms and their
peanut bag providers). They offer no possibilities of industrial
applications, whereas there are plenty in suborbital unmanned flight
and orbital flight. Sure, an eccentric billionaire may fund an expedition
to Mars, but that project will die with him or her, leaving Mars as
deserted as it is now.

Timo Saloniemi