( CNN ) -- The town of Truth or Consequences , New Mexico , is tiny . The population barely reaches 7,000 , and the smattering of tourists it attracts throughout the year are undoubtedly lured by its rustic , small-town charm . Its handful of attractions include some vintage hot spring resorts ( pre-World War II , the town was a hotspot for wellness tourism ) , some nearby ghost towns and roaming buffalo . `` Here , you 're in the middle of what I consider to be the real West , '' says John Mulcahy , mayor of Truth or Consequences ( or T or C , as it 's known locally ) . `` It 's a back-to-nature kind of place . I love to take my four-wheel drive and head out into the wilderness , where there are 100-mile vistas . There 's nothing like it in the continuous United States . '' Not surprisingly , T or C lacks the name recognition of , say , Santa Fe or Albuquerque . That is set to change in the next couple of years however , as the town is on the brink of becoming the epicenter for space tourism . Spaceport America -- which next year is slated to send a troupe of multi-millionaires up into the stratosphere when Virgin Galactic moves in -- is a mere 30 miles to the northeast . `` Spaceport America employs 1,300 people across New Mexico , and we 're looking to add another 1,800 jobs by 2018 , '' says Christine Anderson , executive director of Spaceport America and the New Mexico Spaceport Authority . With an additional 200,000 yearly visitors projected once Virgin moves in -- and the Spaceport completes its Welcome Center ( which Anderson estimates will take another 16 months to finish ) -- T or C is likely to experience a serious uptick . In fact , experts estimate the population is likely to double . Quiz : Do you have what it takes to be a space tourist ? `` The number that I 've seen that scares me the most is 3,000 people in our downtown on a Saturday , '' admits Mulcahy . Currently , the potential of space tourism has everyone in the area on high alert . Virgin are meeting with local tourism suppliers next month to help ready them for the supposed onslaught , while T or C has embarked on a mission to spruce up ahead of its visitors . `` We 're working hard to make the town more attractive , but at the same time , we do n't want it to lose its character . We do n't want a 5-star hotel in downtown , '' he says . Still , it 's difficult to imagine Richard Branson 's clients , many of whom have paid $ 250,000 for their ticket to space , feeling content staying at the local budget hotel . `` I would say there 's plenty of hotels to handle the initial amount of space tourists , but I do n't think there is anything ( in the luxury market ) , '' says Dr. Alison Green , an assistant professor at the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration in Las Vegas , Nevada . Read more : What does a Virgin Galactic ticket buy you ? While some have called on the luxury hospitality industry to anticipate the needs of the projected high-fliers , it seems many brands are slow to answer . In April , CNN founder Ted Turner bought T or C 's Sierra Grande Lodge and Spa -- one of the few upscale accommodations in the region -- but other investors seem to be playing wait-and-see . `` We are lagging in terms of business investment , '' admits Mulcahy , though he maintains he 's not worried about the future of T or C. `` This is the most amazing , iconic facility in the world , but it 's like anything else : you have to see it to believe it , and that 's true of investment . Investment follows opportunity , it does n't really lead opportunity . '' Monique Jacobson , the New Mexico state tourism secretary , says that developers have been scoping out the area ever since the Spaceport was first proposed . The challenge , she says , wo n't be luring investors , so much as ensuring the region keeps its charms . `` If there are luxury resorts , they still need to be true to what makes New Mexico so unique , because that 's what 's going to keep it a special experience for the people that visit , '' she says .
Spaceport America expects 200,000 yearly visitors once Virgin moves in . The population boom could change the area , which remains remote . The nearest town , Truth or Consequences , has 7,000 residents .