A seasonal economy

A couple years ago Andy "The Martian" Weir wrote another book. It concerned a lunar base that did a byline in tourism, and then the tourists took over. Soon enough, we saw Greeks dropping FACTS and LOGIC about tourist economy. The upshot is: Weir probably shouldn't be hired to manage affairs on Thera much less on the Moon.

John Koccinides, if I may Latinise him, drops a few important points, more of use for me perhaps than for Weir. As with the Greeks, I am running an archipelago - SVL2, stations, and farms in the clouds. The Earth / Venus traffic is likewise seasonal - more obviously so. This, in fact, made for my first post on the whole subject. One point of departure is that Venus as a whole will not have casual tourists, because the Hohmann stay is just that long. You're off Earth for two years. That's like "tourism" in the Age Of Sail. No 16th-century Spaniard took off for Panama City for the weekend.

Which leaves internal tourism. Some Earthers based in one Venerean outpost might well tour others. I see that (thankfully) I'd thought up much of Koccinides' points over the last year-and-change, for this example on tourist attractions. Mind you, I've had that time to world-build which I did not spend on a narrative, as Weir had to do. So, let's continue building that world.

Koccinides notes that artificial flavour comes from fossils like coal and petroleum, which cannot be had on the Moon. The Moon, of course, is right overhead twelve out of twentyfour hours and if tourists are coming, so is their luggage. It happens that pepper historically has been currency as assuredly as gold-dust. Nobody on the Moon is bothering to grow jalapenos. It's longtermers who have to worry about growing their own cotton (so to speak). That's Venus (and Mars &c.). Over Venus, I suspect organic chemistry can be had from the atmo or at least from recycling plastics, like syngas. We haven't developed such lore on Earth because derrr just go to Tescos. Mind, as the farms get running, I think Venus might well have Tescos. Even, G-d save us, Sysco.

Another good point is the welfare system. Greece has one. Other Europeans get annoyed with Greeks for this. But Greek employment is heavily seasonal. So what do all those Greeks do when the tourists aren't about? For Venus each node in the chain will need to support its Earth-facing workforce when not in the work-season. Take all those "longshoremen" doing Hohmann-in, Hohmann-out. Well, then what? I guess they have a union . . .

Koccinides discusses law-enforcement in an island where a good portion of the observed people don't have to stay there. I do think that, per island, will emerge cultural differences and even different languages. But they share in the same economy. Earthers on Venus might feel they don't. Such might have the bright idea of making a mess on one island, floating off to another one, and on and on for the, what, 497 days. Venereans will demand some agreed-upon sunna to unite the archipelago at least on dealing with such scum. (Day Of The Rock when?)