Roscosmos wasn't shy about the motivation to take on these tourists. It noted that these travelers were helping to fund Russia's spaceflight industry, including future Soyuz vehicles. The publicity is almost secondary -- this is as much about supporting future missions as anything else.

The 2021 launch will take place under different circumstances, though. Space tourism won't be as novel then as it is now, with companies like Virgin Galactic aiming to take non-astronauts into space before then. This could easily be one flight among many, rather than a novelty.