Drive Them to Rail—How Can Tourist Destinations Increase the Market Share of Rail Travel? A Discrete Choice Experiment

Abstract

Mobility accounts for the largest share of CO₂ emissions generated by tourism industry. The extent of CO₂ resulting from tourists' long-distance travel depends strongly on the transport mode used. To reduce these emissions, destinations should engage in promoting a shift from flying and driving to traveling on rail. This study hypothesizes that the entire mobility chain, that is, long-distance travel and mobility at destination, represents an interconnected bundle of services. Using data from a Discrete Choice Experiment conducted with visitors to a tourist destination in Austrian Alps, we estimated the effects of attributes of long-distance travel by personal vehicle and rail (travel time, travel costs, number of transfers) and effects of attributes of local mobility services offered at the destination (transit frequency, carsharing, mobility hub). The outcomes indicate that local mobility services are highly relevant for transport mode choice of tourists and can increase the market share of rail significantly.