Abstract
Current public transport supply on the Island of Lanzarote is clearly insufficient, and opportunities to substitute private automobiles are extremely limited, for residents and tourists alike. Therefore, this paper analyzes the possibility of introducing a tourist bus service to connect Lanzarote’s main tourist attractions, and it also focuses on a move towards public transport by tourists to reduce the CO2 emitted by excessive private car usage. This work assesses the impact of road transport in accessing tourist activities on Lanzarote Island and its implications for sustainable tourism development. The evaluation is based on the volume of CO2 emissions for the current tourist mobility model on the island and an alternative option such as a tourist bus route. The methodology employed here is the application of a geographical information system (GIS). The study analyzes how to manage the impact of road access to tourist sites through the implementation of a new tourist bus line. The study seeks to evaluate the design of a new bus to deliver tourists to key tourist activities on Lanzarote Island. A GIS-T algorithm is used to compare the level of CO2 emissions from the current tourist mobility model versus the implementation of a new touristic bus. The levels of pollution produced by the present system and the tourist route are compared, and different levels of demand for the new circuit are considered. We conclude that in order to reduce the current levels of emissions by around 15%, some 19.4% of the tourists that currently use hire cars would have to switch to the new tourist bus service.
Highlights
One condition for the development of regional tourism is the presence of a transport infrastructure suited to the needs of tourists, and which is complemented by the satisfactory provision of transport that fulfils the demands of tourist mobility
Recent developments in GIS mean that certain problems related to transport networks can be approached from a perspective that combines the traditional algorithms of network analysis with geographical information; this fusion has created the branch of studies known as geographical information system for transportation (GIS-T)
One condition for the development of regional tourism is the presence of a transport infrastructure suited to tourist needs, which is complemented by the satisfactory provision of transport that meets the demands of tourist mobility
Summary
One condition for the development of regional tourism is the presence of a transport infrastructure suited to the needs of tourists, and which is complemented by the satisfactory provision of transport that fulfils the demands of tourist mobility. The basis for sustainable mobility lies in the use of cleaner alternatives to the private car, and options such as bicycles, trains, and walking do not satisfy the current levels of mobility and cannot be viable; they may constitute a complementary factor in minimizing the use of cars. For this reason, it is vitally important to maximize clean means of transport, as they permit greater versatility, in terms of their configuration (i.e., frequency and route) and their nature (clean energy for locomotion); while at the same time meeting a part of the island’s current mobility needs. It should be users tend the true cost of driving by discounting or minimizing fixed costs
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