Sustainable mobility choices at home and within destinations: A survey of young Italian tourists

Abstract

Green transport modal choices (i.e., walking, cycling, scootering, local public transport, which all imply a certain level of multimodality) reduce car use and its negative externalities, thus improving the environment and landscape of destinations. The resulting increased attractiveness may act as a catalyst and differentiate a place from other competing regions. Nonetheless, only a limited degree of attention has been devoted to tourists' mobility behaviour within destinations by scholars, operators and administrators. This paper aims at filling this gap by considering a sample of individuals living in the same city and visiting different places. In more detail, young people have been investigated, since they seem more concerned about sustainability and represent future tourism flows. They were asked about both their everyday and last holidays modal choices in terms of allocated time. The results of the survey show that destination distance and type affect the mobility time distribution choices of the respondents. Active and collective modes present higher shares during holidays spent in a city, especially when it was reached by public transport (plane, train, or bus). Accommodation type is also significant. Results may be considered by managers and administrators willing to increase tourists' multimodality and modal shift within their holiday destinations.