On October 31, 2014 Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo crashed in the Mohave Desert killing one pilot. This specific flight was the first flight of SpaceShipTwo with a new fuel mixture for an updated propulsion system. Currently, the NTSB is alluding to the fact that this crash was more than likely human error. They suspect that a key braking system was unlocked prematurely by the co-pilot.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/virgin-galactic-spaceship-crashes-1414781841
Virgin Galactic started back in 2004, their website explains their history and how space tourism came about. It states, "The 2004 Ansari X Prize called for private sector innovations in the field of manned space exploration.
Specifically, participants had to design and manufacture a privately funded vehicle that could deliver the weight of three people (including one actual person) to suborbital space.
The vehicle had to be 80 percent reusable and fly twice within a two-‐week period. "
http://www.virgingalactic.com/statement-from-virgin-galactic/
Currently there are no specific regulations as far as space flight and space tourism go besides some safety procedures in operating such spacecraft, as well as, making sure passengers understand the risks. The FAA has kept its hands out of the pot on this specific topic, and has not even been involved with monitoring the design process of Virgin Galactic aircraft/spacecraft. After the recent crash in October the FAA is reviewing rules and regulations for implementation and this has sparked new debate as far as regulating space tourism.
Personally I feel like private space travel and tourism will continue to gain popularity and within 20 years we will see space tourism grow the way airlines have. Aviation has grown exponentially over the years and with technology increasing I see spacecraft becoming safer, cheaper, and more readily accessible to the normal person. Just like with anything else, space tourism is in the pioneering phases, so it will take some time before it will become safe enough and cheap enough for everyone.
There are no specific requirements to work as a pilot in the space tourism industry, but if you look at the pilots that fly the Spacecraft for Virgin Galactic, they were experienced pilots with Aerospace Engineering degrees and also helped design some part of the aircraft. One thing I am surprised at is the fact that the pilots in the scheme of things had low flight time with only more than 2000 hours.
