RESOURCES
RESOURCES: PAPERS & PRESENTATIONS
Author : | Diem-Trinh Le-Klähn |
---|---|
School/Work Place : | Technische Universität München, Germany |
Contact : | diemtrinh.le@tum.de |
Year : | 2014 |
Transport is a vital and integral component of the tourism system yet it contributes the most emissions in tourism (Dubois, Peeters, Ceron, & Gössling, 2011; Peeters & Dubois, 2010). In line with the global concerns for sustainability, there has been a great interest in mitigating the negative environmental impacts from tourism. Transport is accordingly the topic of most attention. One of the possible ways to reduce transport emissions in tourism is to encourage a modal shift to non-motorized modes and public transport (PT) (e.g. Dickinson & Dickinson, 2006; Dickinson, Robbins, & Fletcher, 2009; Dubois et al., 2011; Filimonau, Dickinson, & Robbins, 2014; Guiver, Lumsdon, & Weston, 2008; Martín-Cejas & Sánchez, 2010; Peeters & Dubois, 2010). However, due to the characteristics of tourism in some locations (e.g. long distance travel, remote areas, difficult routes, etc.) and personal restrictions (e.g. health and physical ability), non-motorized transport modes will be suitable for only a limited group of tourists, at particular places and for specific activities. Public transport, on the other hand, is more flexible in accommodating a large number of visitors and providing access to more places. Therefore, PT is expected to be a potential replacement of the car for travelling for tourism purposes. However, so far car use is dominant while PT is less preferred and is often of negative view (Dickinson & Dickinson, 2006; Dickinson & Robbins, 2007; Dickinson et al., 2009; Guiver, Lumsdon, Weston, & Ferguson, 2007; Reilly, Williams, & Haider, 2010). In order to encourage a modal shift, it is important to understand the tourist motivations for PT use and their transport behaviour. Based on the findings of two visitor surveys in Munich in 2012 and 2013, this paper seeks to make recommendations for transport and tourism policy makers in encouraging the use of PT by tourists in urban areas.